Friday was a frustrating day for me wth Interpid Jack. Iffraaj and Liberate from the list to follow all coming second. Our only winner of the day was Sir Mark Presscott’s Warsaw . In fact Prescott has kept my list in business all week with an amazing run of results.
Sunday 9 – Prince Picasso won
Monday 10 – Alambic won
Tuesday 11 – Warsaw Pact won
Wenesday 12 – Key Time won (not on my list to follow)
Thursday 13 – Alambic won
Friday 14 – Warsaw Pact won
A lot of people place great store by trends in horse racing. I decided to apply the theory to the 2.00 at Lingfield on Saturday. In the last 7 years the winner has come from stall 1 on 3 occasions. This time Tom Paris is drawn 1. During that period Richard Hannon has trained the winner 3 times. He runs High Style this time. 6 of the last 7 winners have carried 8 stone 12 or more. Now that excludes the two I have already mentioned but brings in 5 more horses – and there are only 8 runners! I gave up at that point. The 3.45 is a fascinating race. There are two from our list to follow, Elusive Dream and Inchnadamph, as well as Dancing Bay from the Elite Racing Club.
With Sir Mark Prescott in such fine from you have to give the consistent Elusive Dream every chance. He stays and has won on the AW. Inchnadamoh won over this trip at Newmarket last season but has not run for 88 days. There are plenty of contenders, not least Prins Willem and Dorothy’s Friend. The former runs in the orange colours of the Dutch football team so will be easy to spot if you back him. I can strongly recommend that you use the Racing Post video facility to watch the finish of Prins Willem’s last race where he gets up right on the line. He is a bit of a specialist in close finishes and dead heated for first in a race a couple of years back. Dorothy’s Friend has had injury problems and missed all of last season. A solid 4th in the Northumberland Plate signalled a return to form last time and this one is certainly a threat. Unleash is a former winner of the Plate but has more recently been running over hurdles and fences. Freddy is a former classic winner in the Argentine, Odiham can’t be ruled out and Frankie Dettori rides a horse with an Italian name! Elusive Dream just gets my vote ahead of Prins Willem and Dorothy’s Friend.
There are 3 runners from the list to follow in the 4.15. Cesare and Stronghold were 1st and 2nd in the Royal Hunt Cup and that handicap form looks solid as the 4th and 8th have both won big races since. That was handicap form though and this is a Group 3 race. Echo of Light is our 3rd runner. He looked a very difficult ride at times last year but still managed to win twice. He cost an awful lost of money as a yearling though and could, as the saying goes, be anything. Tricky race.
With the Prescott horses in such fine form I am hopeful about El Alamein (3.25) and Prince Picasso (4.00).
In the 8.35 Snark has an each way chance at around 8/1.
Mutawaffer has not won since Pontius was a Pilot but he has shown signs of a return to form of late. Not least when a slightly unlucky 2nd 9 days ago. He is in with a chance in the 2.10 at York.
High Reach (2.45) has been badly out of form since finishing 3rd to Zowington in April. Hard to fancy until he shows followers a bit more encouragement.
I don’t have a great track record in the John Smith’s Cup (3.55) although Far Lane was a winner fro the list to follow in 2003. We are double handed this year with Star of Light and Public Forum. Star of Light has surprised me this season running well in all his 4 races. He should again be to the fore on his favoured ground. My tip though is the lightly raced Public Forum He has won 3 of his 4 races – but his only failure came when he ran on fast ground so fingers crossed that he acts on the ground here. Vauquelin looks the form pick in the 4.25.
Presto Shinko moves into group race class for th first time in the 3.20 at Maisons-Laffitte.
Sunday’s qualifiers from the list to follow.
Haydock 3.20 Sir Nod
Curragh 4.10 (Irish Oaks) – Alexandrova and Scottish Stage.
I will be back on Sunday evening.
ahorse 