It’s a long way from Fairyhouse to Pretoria but that’s the journey we’re taking with Wednesday’s Daily Double.
Not even Brazil could shake the World Cup into life on Tuesday night so our last hope would appear to be competition favourites Spain, who dip their toe into the tournament for the first time this afternoon.
They face a dour Swiss side and look no value at 2/7, particularly given the fact that so many sides have struggled on their first outing in this tournament.
For the purposes of our bet, then, we’re going to concentrate on two sides we have seen before, Uruguay and hosts SOUTH AFRICA.
The Bafana Bafana, for whom Siphiwe Tshabalala (pictured top) looked a potential star, were unlucky not to overcome Mexico in the first game of the tournament last Friday and with a passionate home crowd behind them they could have too much for flaky Uruguay, whose opener against France should be packaged and sold as a 100 per cent effective cure for insomnia. We’ll go for the safety option of the Draw No Bet market.
There’s another exceptional card on the second day of Royal Ascot but for our bet we’re going to be very patient and wait for the 9.00 at Fairyhouse, and WHISPER COOL.
Whisper Cool put up a fine performance in a 0-89 handicap on his reappearance at The Curragh last time out. Having raced prominently throughout, Ger Lyons’s gelding quickened nicely to lead three furlongs out.
He eventually finishing fourth but held his own well in the straight that day against some useful types, and it was only in the last 50 yards that he folded. He takes a drop in grade today and he should go very close with good claimer Emmet McNamara taking off a valuable three pounds.
JOE’s Daily Double: South Africa to beat Uruguay (Draw No Bet market, 5/4) & Whisper Cool (Fairyhouse, 9.00 @ 7/2)
Place the JOE Double with Paddy Power by clicking here
JOE’s horse-racing tips are provided by Ray Flanagan
