Subtitle: Why the year 2026 changes everything for racing analysts, and why you don’t need to be a computer genius to lead the charge. Introduction: The Saturday Morning Struggle Picture the scene. It is a Saturday morning. You have a mug of tea in one hand, a red pen in the other, and a mountain…

2m | Soft to Heavy | 9 runners This is a proper winter Punchestown handicap — small field, testing ground, and no hiding place. With the two big system horses taken out (Zuzukel, Hereditary Rule), the race has opened right up and it now looks more about who actually handles conditions and stays competitive off…

2m 35y | €7,080 | 16 runners This is a typical Punchestown juvenile/4yo maiden: plenty of Flat recruits, a few with French hurdle form, and a lot of learning going on. It’s rarely about polish here — it’s about who brings the strongest raw engine and adapts quickest. Race Shape Likely to be steadily run…

– Blackmore Building Contractors Novices’ Hurdle (Div 2) 2m½f | Class 4 | Good to Soft | 13 runners This is a split-division novice but the second half still revolves around one very solid piece of recent form. Hereford at this trip rewards positive tactics, fluency and fitness, and novices who already know the place…

2m | Class 4 | Good to Soft This is a top-heavy novice where most of the field are learning on the job and a small handful already look a cut above. Hereford places an emphasis on position and clean jumping, and races over this trip often turn into a sprint from the home turn…

2m3½f | Yielding to Soft | 5 runners A tight little Grade 3, but not a gimme. Punchestown at this trip rewards sound jumping, tactical speed, and the ability to hold a position turning in. With just five runners, this could turn tactical quickly — and that often favours class over raw enthusiasm. Predators Gold…

2m½f | Yielding | 4 runners A small field, but not a soft race. This often acts as a pecking-order contest for top novice hurdlers, and with yielding ground at Punchestown, it will reward balance, jumping accuracy and the ability to travel strongly. Sober (FR) sets the standard. Unbeaten over hurdles, a winner on yielding…

2m5½f | Good | Big field This looks a proper Lanzarote: depth everywhere, plenty of recent winners, and very little between the top half of the weights on raw ability. Kempton’s flat track puts the emphasis on travelling, rhythm and position, and the race is usually won by something that’s still improving rather than a…