EXPRESSO STAR MAY BE OUT OF THE WILLIAM HILL LINCOLN

Despite the fact that Expresso Star may not run at all in the 2009 William Hill Lincoln, his odds have been trimmed yet again with the 4 year-old now listed at 7/2 with William Hill. Top contender Swop (8/1) has moved ahead of Charm School (9/1) in the running with the race less than 72 hours away. Word came out today that trainer John Gosden will have a representative inspect the course following the first race on Saturday. We may see an extremely late Pull-Out from Expresso Star and this would leave punters in a tizzy, scrambling to place value bets on the next best horses, namely Swop and Charm School. Seeing as though this is the first major race of the flat season, you can understand why Gosden's camp would be so concerned about the ground conditions. There is very little rain forecast up until Saturday and with Expresso Star having recorded three wins in a row (all on good or good to soft) they may be hesitant to run without the extra boost that softer conditions would provide. Punters seem to think that Expresso Star will be in action on Saturday, justified by the price drop, this further reaffirms my theory that Expresso Star will be listed at a mere 5/2 come post time should he not be withdrawn. Take advantage of a non-runner no-bet offer if you have it available, as the price will drop a further point if Expresso Star is confirmed for the Lincoln. Expresso Star was handed a plum starting position, just three away from the exact same spot where Smokey Oakey made his breakthrough in last year's race. This should also be taken into consideration concerning the price drop.