There is so much racing these days that catching up with all that has been happening is tough after you have been out of circulation for a few days.
Our list to follow has had a few successes over the last week. Alambic is top of the flat “leaderboard” among the list to follow on the flat with 6 wins but Peppertree Lane moved into a clear second with a 5th win at Ascot last Saturday. He clearly revels in soft ground and could well turn into a listed or group 3 performer next term.
On the same Ascot card Book of Music registered his first success of the campaign. I haven’t watched the video but this race was by all accounts a real thriller with Book of Music just getting up in the final strides. There was a dead heat for second with our old friend Zero Tolerance in 4th. Book of Music is another who seems to appreciate cut in the ground.
The biggest priced winner from our list was Innocent Air at 16/1. John Gosden’s filly had won a listed race as a juvenile but had not shown much sparkle this season. She came back to her best a t Newmarket though and made every yard to win well. She will not run again in the UK apparently.
Inrepid Jack won a 5 furlong sprint handicap at Bath to register his first success of the season.
Our 5th winner from the flat list was Bygone Days who got the better of a couple of other “listers,” Borderlescott and Tax Free in what was quite a competitive Group 3 sprint at Newmarket.
I see that Aiden O’Brien’s Aussie Rules won a Grade 1 at Keeneland in the USA.
Hard Act to Follow gave our jumps list a win at Wetherby in the week. He is owned by Graham and Andrea Wylie who had such a great start to their much publicised venture into racehorse ownership with 3 winners at the 2005 Cheltenham Festival. Things did not go so well for them last season but in Hard Act to Follow they appear to have a promising chaser to go to war with. Another horse from our list, King of Confusion showed promise in second place.
There was also a win for Justified who made a return to action in the 2m 1f Listed contest at Limerick, coming home to win with something in hand from Tumbling Dice. Connections will be keen to avoid right-hand tracks from now on with him as he again showed a tendency to jump left.
There was also success for our jumps list on the flat with Iktitaf and Detroit City taking the Irish and English Cesarawitch handicaps. Detroit City, who runs in the Rooster Booster colours often looks to be struggling in running but he is a powerful type and had too much for his rivals at Newmarket yesterday. Inchnadamph ran a fine race in second going one better than his third in the race last season.
I have tried to keep a closer than usual eye on the 2 year old scene this season. There were a few impressive performances from juveniles last week, not least from Jeremy Noseda’s Kafuu who made a winning debut at York. I am not sure he beat much but he certainly travelled well for Frankie Dettori and he looks a potentially smart colt. There was also a taking performance from Go on be a Tiger who quickened well to win a maiden at Newbury. I imagine that trainer Mick Channon would have been particularly pleased with this one as he trained the dam, Queen’s Logic, a talented filly whose career was blighted by injury.
I made a note of Brian Meehan’s Greyt Big Stuff earlier in the season after reading some favourable comments by the trainer. He was in the frame twice in his first 4 outings and finally got off the mark when dropped in class at Southwell on Thursday.
John Dunlop’s Maid to Believe was another to break her duck when she won at 25/1 in a Leicester maiden. She is a half sister to 3 juvenile winners so was always likely to score as a 2 year old. The extended mile at Leicester played to her strengths as she is related to a hurdles winner and clearly is not short on stamina. She looks the type that her trainer does well with in handicaps as a 3 year old.
Another that we might be seeing in handicaps next season is John Gosden’s Ekhtiar who won at the second attempt in what looked a fair maiden at Lingfield where he overturned an odds on favourite. I see that he followed up with another win at Lingfield today.
Other two year old winners were Vaunt and Cheap Street. Vaunt followed up his win over the minimum trip in a Bath maiden with a course and distance follow up in a nursery. He looks an out and out sprinter.
Cheap Street just held on under Nicky Mackay to land the spoils in a Newmarket nursery at 17/2. This was his 3rd win of the season.
From a personal viewpoint I was pleased to see Tredegar win for the Elite Racing Club. His win in a 7 furlong Newmarket maiden was his first success after showing promise in his 2 earlier runs. Like another of the club’s recent winners Tredegar has moved to Paul Cole’s yard. He looks likely to appreciate some give in the ground.
Turning to Monday’s action the Pontefract card gets under way with a tricky looking nursery. 8 out of the last ten winners have carried between 8.10 and 9.2, which would narrow the field down to just 6 possibles if you believe in following trends. Incidentally Arcalis is a past winner of the race when ridden by a certain K Fallon back in 2002. Arcalis of course went on to win the Supreme Novices Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival.
Height of Fury represents our list to follow in the 2.50. This son of Saddlers Wells remains a maiden after 7 starts although his best effort was on his latest outing when 2nd at Goodwood. He has place claims here but has gone up a couple of pounds since his last run.
Sir Nod won at Beverley last time out and has gone up 3 lbs in the weights as a result. He beat Paddywack at Beverley and that horse has franked the form by winning since. Sir Nod runs in the 3.20 and Tom Eves has the ride.
The only other runner from our list to follow is Exmoor who goes in the 5.00 at Windsor. He has already won for us at 8/1 but has struggled somewhat since. I see that he wears blinkers for the first time tomorrow.
Bye for now
ahorse 