Horses running from our main list to follow
Ascot 1.20 – New Little Bric & Regal Heights
Ascot 1.50 – Afsoun & Wichita Lineman
Ascot 2.20 – Pablo du Charmil
Haydock 12.30 – Lightning Strike & Tazbar
Haydock 1.35 – Taranis & Special Envoy
Haydock 2.05 – Kauto Star, Exotic Dancer & My Way de Solzen
Haydock 2.35 – Cloudy Lane
Haydock 3.45 – Jorveybrook
Huntingdon 3.35 – Aces Four
Horses running from our “dark horses” list
Ascot 1.50 – Kings Quay
Ascot 2.55 – Labelthou
Haydock 1.35 – Halcon Generlardais
Haydock 2.35 – High Chimes
Russellform Ramblings
The 1.50 at Ascot will take some winning with two former Champion Hurdle victors in the line up. Afsoun, who will want a brisk pace over just short of two and a half miles, may enhance his World Hurdle prospects at the expense of last year’s winner Hardy Eustace. The other interesting runner is Wichita Lineman who goes well fresh but I will stick by Afsoun for my selection.
The big race of the day is of course the Betfair Chase at Haydock which features the first 3 home in the Gold Cup last year plus the Queen Mother Champion Chaser My Way de Solzen. Exotic Dancer has run 17 times in the UK with 5 wins. Four of those have come at Cheltenham where he is something of a course specialist. If this was at Cheltenham I would be a bit interested – but it isn’t. Anyway, I don’t really see why either Exotic Dancer or Turpin Green should reverse the form with the Paul Nicholls star. If there is any chink in the Kauto Star armoury than the one to find it out might be My Way de Solzen. He is a horse with star quality himself and is one of the best jumpers around.
Staying at Haydock Taranis can take advantage of an attractive handicap mark to land the 1.35. He may not be great value for money though. In the 2.35 Cloudy Lane could be another on a good mark.
The recent rain will have helped the chances of New Little Bric in the 1.20 at Ascot. He should go well here as should the other one from our list to follow, Regal Heights.
Jorveybrook has a big reputation at home and can give Nicky Richards a winner in the 3.45 at Haydock.
Henrietta Knight has enjoyed a virtual monopoly on the Peterborough Chase at Huntingdon down the years. She is once again well represented by Racing Demon this year. She has her string in good form but then so does Ferdy Murphy who saddles Aces Four. He looked like he needed the run when going well until being pulled up on his recent reappearance. I will give a slight preference to Aces Four, especially if the weather remains dry.
My main fancies at Gowran Park are Sophocles (12.45) and Aranleigh (1.15)
Nap of the day
Haydock 3.35 – Jorveybrook
Today’s trivia
The first flat race ever run on the all weather was at Lingfield on 30th October 1989. The winning horse was Niklas Angel – a colt trained by Conrad Allen and ridden by Richard Quinn.
What’s in a name?
Wichita Lineman was the name of a hit single by pop/country and western star Glen Campbell in the 60s.
ahorse 