My preview on Sunday evening yielded a few winners. First Avenue saved me from what would have been a blank day yesterday but things took a turn for the better this afternoon thanks to Miss Eze (6/1) and Electrolyser (13/2).
There are meetings on the flat and over the sticks tomorrow and I am going to start with the jumpers as I think they represent my best chance of finding a winner.
Exeter is the better of the 2 jumps meetings and I am particularly interested in the novice hurdle at 4.50. Philip Hobbs has supplied the winner twice in recent years and he has one of the leading fancies this time in Copper Bleu. This half brother to Presenting Copper is having his first run over hurdles after displaying good from in 2 bumpers last season. After winning at Cork on heavy ground he took his chance in the Aintree bumper at the Grand National meeting and did well to finish 5th in what is traditionally a strong race. The conditions that day favoured the quicker horses so he did especially well given his jumping pedigree. It will be a surprise if he doesn’t make his mark over obstacles. His main rival tomorrow could well be the David Pipe trained Quaddick Lane. An Irish points winner he was tanking along and upsides the eventual winner Snap Tie when falling at the final hurdle at Cheltenham on his rules debut. He was disappointing in a couple of starts after that but he showed plenty of ability before coming to grief at Cheltenham and looks an interesting prospect. Quaddick Lane has plenty of stamina in his pedigree and may eventually be running over further, while Copper Bleu is not short of speed and may come out on top over tomorrow’s trip. Both look nice horses to follow this season.
Earlier on the Exeter card there is a nice little handicap hurdle with a few old favourites in the line up. At the top of the weights is Harris Bay who has some very unusual form figures. He has raced 25 times and been pulled up no fewer than 8 times. Against that though he has won 9 races. If he is on a going day he is very well handicapped and has gone well fresh in the past. Pepperoni Pete won 5 times when he was trained by Paul Nicholls but never quite lived up to his early promise with the Ditcheat maestro. He is well handicapped and should be suited by both the trip and the stiff right handed track tomorrow. My each way fancy is the lightly raced Oscar Gogo trained by Liam Corcoran. He was 4th on his handicap debut at Stratford 24 days ago and should come on for that. He should also be suited to the stiffer test of stamina tomorrow.
On the flat I would be interested in Alanbrooke in the Nottingham 2.40. Mark Johnston’s 2 year old was 5th on his debut at Sandown and comes from a family of winners.
Moheeb must be a real fun horse to own, although he has not been a profitable horse on my list to follow. He has already raced 18 times this season, and will have his 3rd outing this month in the 3.40 at Nottingham tomorrow. Although he has only won once, he has made the frame a number of times and ran a cracker on Saturday when 5th of 23 in the valuable handicap at Redcar. He should once again be in they shake up.
Another expensive horse to follow runs in the 5.10. Rossini’s Dancer finally got off the mark at the 15th time of asking at Beverley last month, although his jockey Barry McHugh had to work very hard for his money. I don’t think that Rossini’s Dancer is exactly guaranteed to follow up although the soft ground should be in his favour and young McHugh is again on board in this apprentice handicap.
Today’s picture is courtesy of the artist Ruth S Harris (see links)
See you tomorrow.
ahorse 