Blood Eagle - my inexpert take

Too late for me, as usual, I noticed a post by Rory Delarghy last evening in 'punting pointers' on the Sporting Life website. He was highlighting a very strange bit of handicapping for a horse called Blood Eagle in the 4.20 at Plumpton today.

I am not sure of the exact argument as I cannot now find the original post (conspiracy theorists take your chance) but in essence this horse had some good form on the flat when trained by Andrew Balding. It has then run 4 times over hurdles for David Jeffreys and been hopeless at massive odds. There was some kind of question mark of how it should be handicapped but to cut a long story short it is entered in a low grade handicap hurdle at Plumpton and is 22lb out of the handicap - i.e. if its handicap rating is correct it has no chance.

When Rory highlighted this apparently you could back Blood Eagle at 66/1. On the basis of its form over jumps for David Jeffreys it should have been 250/1 plus - but if it ran to its Andrew Balding form then maybe it had a chance.

I am pretty sure virtually  no-one was able to avail themselves of the 66/1 (and if they did their account would now be closed) but when I checked at 6.15 this morning (us delivery drivers get up early) Blood Eagle was 11/10 with Bet365.

My reaction was to lay him. Surely if this was a plot connections would not be running him in a race where he is so far out of the handicap? Quick check on Betfair and he was available  to back at 9/2, and Bet365 did not have their not to win market up.

That was it for it for me - no bet  - but I was intrigued. Got back home to find other Jeffreys trained horses had been backed in multiples but all had flopped. Blood Eagle was the exception and actually ran pretty well and came 3rd at 9/2. With 22lb less on its back he would surely have hosed up!

I am still not sure what went on. Was it some kind of "pretend gamble" with a view to giving a cash out opportunity to the instigators? Possibly. Anyway it looks to me that Blood Eagle is way ahead of his hurdle handicap mark but I suspect the chance to profit has well and truly gone for those of us not in the know, and maybe even for David Jeffreys and the owners if they really did no nothing about this. 


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