Our man Sam Turner bashes the bookies

SAM TURNER took the bookies to the cleaners with a 1,623-1 thumping when picking six of the eight winners at Newmarket yesterday.

Turner, who goes by the pseudonym of Robin Goodfellow, is Racemail’s awardwinning tipster who has won the National Press Challenge three times in the last five years and has consolidated his position at the top of 2014 table with a command performance at the HQ of Flat racing.

Goodfellow kicked off his romp with Godolphin newcomer Basem (5-2) in the Wood Ditton Stakes and also highlighted the chances Toormore (Evens), winner of the feature Craven Stakes, Abernant Stakes victor Hamza (11-4), Earl Of Sefton Stakes hero Mull of Killough (4-1) plus Hadaatha (7-2) and Cloudscape (7-4).

Dave Stevens of Coral said: ‘We always respect the selections of Sam Turner because of his fine record and, unfortunately, he has left us with a bloody nose going into the Bank Holiday.’

Maybe because the bookies were dazed by Turner’s prize tipping, they were not listening as Richard Hannon’s Toormore shouted his 2,000 Guineas credentials out loud in the Craven Stakes. Last season’s champion two-year- old, sent off Evens favourite under Ryan Moore, defied a three pound penalty as he ultimately forged clear after being headed over a furlong out by runner-up The Grey Gatsby, a rival who should not be underestimated.

It was a professional performance and provided Hannon with a first win in a trial which his father, Richard snr, had won five times since the turn of the century.

But the bookies remain convinced that the best Guineas trial of the season remains Kingman’s much flashier fourand-a-half-length win in last Saturday’s Greenham Stakes.

Coral reacted by cutting John Gosden’s Newbury winner to 5-6 favourite for the 2,000 Guineas back here on May 3.

Moore said: ‘It is never easy to defy a penalty and he was always in command. He showed he can come down the Dip and is a good actioned horse.’