Month: July 2009

 

After a blank day on Monday I was quite pleased with today’s results. Cape Vale gave me a winner at the new track of Ffos Las thanks to Cape Vale who ended something of a losing run. Alicante was my other winner. He is on an upwards curve and if he is turned out again soon he will be hard to beat.

I have 4 selections for Wednesday and I am optimistic of getting amongst the winners again.

At Leicester in the 7.55 Hada Men, a recent winner at Folkestone looks an improving stayer and probably rates as my best bet of the day.

Lingfield next where Sir Mark Prescott, trainer of Alicante, has Rock Relief in the 5.00. Having had just 3 runs as a juvenile he looks typical of the sort of 3 year old his trainer does so well with.

At Sandown (7.05) I am hoping that Logos Astra will have benefitted from his debut effort over course and distance earlier in the month when he was 4^th.

Lastly I am keen on the chances of Emirates Sports in the Sandown 7.40. He has won his last 2 starts, both on the all weather and the Godolphin team are now in winning form.

Today’s picture is by kind permission of the artist Jane Dunn.

 

 

Woodsley House runs in the Ayr 4.00. He won for em earlier in the season at 20/1 so I have had my money’s worth out of him. He is a course and distance winner on soft ground so could not be ruled out. He is currently 2 lbs higher than his last winning mark. He has an each way chance at 11/1 although it is a shame there are only 15 runners.

If we get plenty of rain up in Scotland it might be worth a close look at Look Busy and Judge ‘N Jury in the 4.30. This looks a competitive race as veterans Reverence, Fullandby and River Falcon also like plenty of cut in the ground. I will give Look Busy preference over Judge ‘N Jury.

Trumpstoo has only beaten two home in a couple of starts this season but they were both on firm ground. He won last year in very testing conditions so if the ground were to ride soft at Beverley tomorrow he would come into the equation in the 8.30. His trainer, Richard Fahey, could hardly be in better form.

Mr Freddy was runner up to Distant Memories on Saturday and if turned out again tomorrow in the Beverley 9.00 he should be backed.

Ben’s Dream was well backed when getting off the mark at Warwick on his last start. He looks to follow that up tomorrow in the 7.50 at Windsor wher4e he was runner up on his only previous visit to the track. He has gone up 5 lbs for his Warwick win but is not without a chance.

Jachol was a disappointing beaten favourite on his last run but might be worth another chance in the Yarmouth 5.15.

On Tuesday Ffos Las stage their inaugural flat meeting where Dandy Nicholls could land the sprint handicap at 4.30 with the top weight Cape Vale.

On the all weather at Southwell the Sir Mark Prescott trained Virginia Hall looks to have a good chance of picking up the winning thread again in the 7.50

The 3.15 at Yarmouth will take some sorting out. I have a short list of 3 for this with Halfway House and Alicante both coming into the race on the back of recent wins and Venture Capitalist who was second at Brighton last time out. Sir Mark Prescott is the master of training horses to run up a sequence of wins so Alicante gets the nod.

In the 4.45 Billberry might be worth considering.

Today’s picture is courtesy of the artist Sally Martin.

 

I was reasonably pleased with today’s selections.  Most of them were in the first 3 and there were some winners from my list to follow as well.

Archer’s Road has proved a profitable horse for yours truly and picked up some nice prize money today when 3rd in the Super Sprint despite being largely ignored by the experts.  He is by the same sire as Lady Livius who won the race at 100/1 a few years ago.

With Redcar abandoned here is no flat racing in the UK tomorrow.

With plenty of rain about the going at many tracks around the country is likely to change and we need to factor that into any selections over the weekend.

Starting with Haydock’s evening card Huntdown looks the obvious choice in the 8.10. If the heavens were to really open though last year’s winner Welsh Emperor would warrant serious consideration. Of his 12 career wins 7 have been on either soft or heavy ground.

Sir Mark Prescott’s team are starting to hit form and his Speed Dating would be my selection in the 9.10. He should handle some cut in the ground and the stable had a winner and a second today.

I would normally be interested in Palace Moon in the Newbury 2.20 but soft ground could be a problem as he has done his winning on good to firm.

The big race at Newbury is the Super Sprint at 3.25. My original each way fancy for this was Star Rover but his form is on fast ground. I suppose the same could be said of Archer’s Road (pictured below) but he is very tough and may be able to handle the going. The other one I like on the Newbury card is Dar Es Salaam in the 4.30.

I am keen on Splashdown (aptly named) in the Newmarket 2.35. She battled well to get the better of Apple Charlotte in a listed race at Newbury on her last start and there is every chance that she will be even better over the extended trip tomorrow.

There are a couple of runners from my list to follow in the 3.05, Sovereign Remedy and Bravo Echo. I think that Sunshine Always, a close second at Newcastle last time of soft ground may be too good for both of them.

Filligree runs in the 3.35 at Newmarket in preference to a couple of other engagements. She ran a cracker when 2^nd at Folkestone despite losing a shoe. The concern would be that her form is all on firm ground.

In the 4.10 Paisley makes a belated racecourse debut. By Pivotal out of a dam that won the Lancashire Oaks she is certainly an interesting type on pedigree. A safer bet though may be Penitent, second on her debut in soft ground at Doncaster.

In the sprint at 5.20 Biniou should handle the ground, comes into the race on the back of a win and has Jamie Spencer booked to ride.

The going at Ripon is likely to be very testing. In the opener at 2.30 I am inclined to go with Beyond Desire who should go on the ground and is well thought of by connections.

My short list for the 3.30 consists of Distant Memories, Raaeidd and Mr Freddy. Of the trio Distant Memories has the proven soft ground form. Mr Freddy should not be discounted given the red hot form of the stable.

In the 4.00 Fortuni and Kings Destiny both make some appeal. Fortuni has perhaps the more obvious chance of the two.

At Lingfield Queen Eleanor has a bit of an each way chance in the 8.25.

 

I didn’t have much luck with Casual Garcia the other day but I am going to put forward a couple more from the same stable that I hope will run better. Alicante (Hamilton 9.00) and Royal Diamond (Haydock 4.40) are both typical of the type of horse their trainer excels with.

Another interesting runner at Hamilton is Prince Rhyddarch in the 8.30. He looked a progressive sort last season and is certainly one to watch for the remainder of this campaign. He is a real mudlark so plenty of rain will help his chance.

At Newbury the unraced Walcott Square is a likely type on breeding in the 2.35 but might need this first run. One to keep an eye on for the future though.

In the 3.45 I had high hopes of Cascata earlier in the season based on her debut success at Great Leighs last November. She has not really lived up to those expectations in her two runs this year but down a few pounds in the handicap and with Ryan Moore on board she might be worth another chance in the 3.45.

In the 5.40 at Newmarket I quite fancy Venture Capitalist who has been second a couple of times recently. He has run badly before on soft ground however and heavy rain is forecast unfortunately. It will be interesting to see how much market support there is in him.

Park Lane has been running respectably without quite getting his head in front and looks to have an each way chance in the 7.15. In the same race a case could also be made for the once raced Cactus Curtsey who showed promise when 3^rd on her debut and both trip and ground look ideal.

My list to follow is doubly represented in the 7.45 with Classically and Mutamaashi. Neither have been in good form of late although Classically could be of interest should the ground ride on the soft side.

At Pontefract Dig Deep is the only runner form my list to follow. He is difficult to catch right but there is the nagging suspicion that he will pop up at a silly price one day. When that day is going to be in hard top predict unfortunately!.

Lastly Phillipina, 6^th in the Oaks ought to win the 5.05 at Nottingham.

Today’s picture is by courtesy of the artist Jo Stockdale (see links).

 

Forgotten Voice is a horse I have followed with some success recently and he looks to have been found a winning opportunity tomorrow night in the 8.10 at Doncaster. If the ground were to ride really soft then Perks would be a big danger. Forgotten Voice is likely to start a short priced favourite and to balance things up I considered a bit of a long shot in the 8.40. Red Fama was most progressive last season running up a quick fire hat trick. Although he has gone up in the weights he could still be on a fair mark. What puts me of though is that the trip looks on the sharp side seeing that his last win came over half a mile shorter.

I sort of adopted Mykingdomforahorse last season given the name of my web site. He runs tomorrow in the 9.10 where he could at least make the frame. Hey Up Dad runs in the same race but has been a big disappointment and various types of head gear have failed to work the oracle. He remains potentially well treated should he recapture last season’s form.

They race over the jumps at Cartmel tomorrow where Lake Wakatipu looks a fair bet in the 2.00.

I had hopes for Cook’s Endeavour at the start of the season but he hasn’t shown much in his two runs. His last race was back in mid May so possibly something may have been amiss. He runs in the 3.15 at Leicester and is another that would have chances if recovering last year’s form.

In the 3.50 I looked at In Footlights and Libel Law. Having only raced once In Footlights looks to have the scope to improve and the stable are in excellent form. I am inclined to go with him even though he looks the stable second string on jockey bookings.

 

I am penning these notes on Tuesday morning as I am off to watch Macclesfield Town’s latest pre season friendly tonight. My selections didn’t fare too well yesterday. Northside Prince was brought down in the horrific pile up at Ayr, one of the worst accidents I have ever seen in a flat race. Thankfully all the horses appeared to come through unscathed and only Joe Fanning suffered a significant injury of the human fallers. Plymouth Rock was a big disappointment last night although his jockey did lose an iron early in the race.

After recent failures it might seem as though I need divine intervention to tip a winner. What better then than to try Sent from Heaven in the Kempton 7.20. This filly, by 2,000 Guineas winner Footstepsinthesand is related to several winners and apparently well thought of by her trainer.

Later on the Kempton card Miss Eze runs in the 8.20. She comes from family that I have followed over the years. They are all named after locations in the South of France. Miss Eze is now with Michael Bell as her trainer from last year, Geoff Wragg has retired. In truth Miss Eze has disappointed in her last couple of runs but she showed some ability last season and Michael Bell has his horses in good form.

Casual Garcia is the only runner at Lingfield to really catch my eye. He has a most unlikely career record. He looked a bit of a donkey after 6 runs finishing last or next to last on 5 of his 6 races. He then romped home in a Lingfield seller. He improved again when upped in distance winning at Nottingham and Folkestone. On his reappearance at Ascot this year he was last appearing to spit his dummy out. He is worth another chance in the 3.20 where he may be able to dictate the pace from the front.

Today’s picture is courtesy of the artist Ruth Buchanan.

 

As usual I will concentrate on the chances of the runners from my list to follow.

Starting at Ayr tomorrow we have Northside Prince in the 3.00 at Ayr. He has shown enough in his races to date to suggest that he can win a race. He is dropped in trip tomorrow which surprises me slightly given his pedigree. He is not without a chance but I just think that the 4/1 in the RP looks a little stingy.

I had hopes for Trumpstoo at the start of the season but he has only beaten 2 home in his 2 races so far. His win last season came on heavy ground so he may be worth supporting next time he gets plenty of cut.

In the 5.30 Alicante looks the sort that Sir Mark Prescott excels with. She is a half sister to the multiple winner Aleatricis.

I tipped Plymouth Rock to win on his racecourse debut at Windsor and I see no reason to desert him back at the same track tomorrow in the 9.00.

My selections for Tuesday are

Daneshillsundance (Beverley 4.45)

Blue Nymph (Southwell 6.40)

Charles Parnell & Northern Bolt (Southwell 9.10)

Today’s picture is courtesy of the artist Katy Sodeau.

 

There was very little between Sariska and Midday in the Epsom classic.  Midday was having her 7th race while Sariska had only raced 3 times before so perhaps you could argue that she has the more scope for improvement at The Curragh tomorrow.  I will go with Sariska to confirm the form but the main threat to the front two likely to come from Beauty O’Gwaune, especially if we get significant rain.

There are 3 runners from my list to follow in the 1.50 at Ascot. Espiritu ran a blinder when 4^th in the Britannia Stakes and subsequent results indicate that was strong form. He wore a first time visor on that occasion and there is always the chance that it will not have quite the same effect a second time. There is also a suspicion that he may be best on fast ground but those reservations apart he comes into the race on good form.

Invisible Man could only finish 13^th in the Britannia after winning a Newmarket maiden while Siouix Rising has won both her starts this season, both at Pontefract and is trained by Richard Fahey who can do no wrong at the moment. She tackles an extra furlong tomorrow and on pedigree this seems likely to suit. Both Espiritu and Sioux Rising come into the race with good chances.

Shamali showed enough when 3^rd at Sandown last time to convince me that he is worth supporting in the 2.20.

In the 2.50 course specialist Cesare looks the one to beat while Aqlaam with very few miles on the clock is my idea of the main danger. Wigan Lane appeared in my article on 2 year olds o follow and he has already won once. He makes his handicap debut in the nursery at 3.25 and has an each way shout at 7/1.

There are 2 from my list to follow in the 4.35. Both Judge N’ Jury and Lochstar have been rather disappointing so far. Both would have to improve on recent from to take a hand in the finish.

At Chester Balthazaar’s Gift looks the percentage call from the inside berth in the 2.25 while Borderlescott is also well drawn in the 3.30.

The form of the Richard Fahey yard has been mentioned elsewhere and I am keen on another one of his runners, Atlantic Beach in the 7.40 at Hamilton.

Shemoli got off the mark at Pontefract last month and will seek to follow up in the 3.55 at Nottingham. He runs over a mile and three quarters tomorrow for the first time. I am not sure about this one so I will be donning the watching briefs.

There are few better when it comes to placing their handicappers than Luca Cumani and I am interested in his Dannios in the 5.05. He only beat one home at Chepstow last time but he may be better than that and looks worth another chance.

Hillside Lad (6.50) and Bagber (8.30) represent my list to follow at Salisbury with the latter holding the better chance of the pair.

Osteopathic Remedy and The Osteopath, both owned by Kevin Kirkup are two to consider in the 2.35 at York as is top weight Lang Shining who ran as a pace maker in the Eclipse last week.

The Magnet Cup at 3.10 looks as competitive as ever. I will give you a short list of 3. It is possible that the lightly raced Riggins is better than a handicapper. Although not over impressive when winning at Goodwood last time he should be suited by the strong pace he is likely to get tomorrow. Nanton runs well in these big handicaps. He was runner up in the Cambridgeshire last season and this term her has finished 2^nd in the Zetland Gold Cup and 4^th in the Royal Hunt Cup. Seeking The Buck just failed to complete the hat trick when 2^nd at Lingfield last month and is certainly in solid form.

Finally, in the 3.45 Warringah should appreciate the trip as he looked to have plenty of stamina when winning at Windsor last time and he can defy a hike in the weights.

The picture of York racecourse is by courtesy of David Hebb.