Month: May 2010

Dubai Dynamo has proved a profitable horse to follow this season and did us another favour today at the very generous price of 10/1. Ruth Carr is definitely a trainer to follow. Over the last couple of season’s I have followed a horse of hers called Moheeb that has done well for me.

Ruth Carr has an interesting runner tomorrow in Beckermet in the 3.25 at Catterick. Beckermet was trained by Roger Fisher and is having his first run foe his new stable tomorrow. Ruth Carr has done well with her acquisitions from other yards such as Raccoon and Ninth House and Beckermet could well recover some of his old form for his new handler. On his last start he was third behind Dubai Dynamo so the trainer should have a handle on the form. His last three wins have come in listed company and he runs here off a mark of 86 so the potential is there for him to put in a big run.

Staying with the racing in Yorkshire the 2.40 at Beverley is a tricky handicap with all 6 runners in with a chance. Veroon could be the value returning to 10 furlongs and on ground that will suit him. He is also a course and distance winner.

There will be big crowds at the Cartmel jumps meeting where Kingsmoss looks the best bet in the 8.40. Temple Place is an interesting runner in the 9.10. He has been done the rounds a bit and won as a two year old for Michael Bell at 20/1 and won a handicap at Chester at 50/1 when trained by Donald McCain.

High Standing goes well fresh and could win on his seasonal reappearance in the 2.00 at Haydock. Mister Manannan is potentially better than listed class. He is very quick and could be difficult to peg back in the 2.30.

For those interested in the names of racehorses Victoria Montoya is quite cleverly named. She is by High Chapparal which was the name of an old TV western series and one of the characters was called Victoria Montoya. She is not completely without a chance in the 3.00 despite a poor run last time out but Barshiba is the probably winner.

I have a short list of 3 for the 2 mile handicap at 4.45. Crackentorp was second to Hanoverian Baron (who was something of a good thing) at York a fortnight ago and with Ryan Moore booked to ride looks well worth considering. Hawk Mountain has a good record over staying trips but he does need decent ground so if the forecasted heavy rain arrives before the race if might blight his chance. The other one I like is Cosmic Sun for Richard Fahey. He won a big handicap at Royal Ascot last season beating Chiberta King. My other selections at Haydock are Main Aim (3.30) and Rock ‘N Royal (5.20)

Ameer was only beaten a head by Coordinated Cut in April and that form reads well after the Dante. He must have a good chance in the Newmarket 2.15. Ransom Note will be a warm order in the 2.45 but at the prices I am inclined to take him on. The potentially well handicapped Munsarim makes some appeal as do Business as Usual and San Cassiano who should both come on for recent runs. In the 3.20 Side Glance looks of interest, especially if the ground rides on the quick side.

In the 3.55 I like Rodrigo de Torres and Dafeef. Expensive purchase Mureb ran with promise on his only start as a juvenile and looks the one to be on in the 5.05.

The two I fancy in the 5.05 are Bollin Judith and Lombok.

Looking ahead to Sunday the two to concentrate on in the 2.55 are Swiss Dream and Mujrayaat while my selection in the 4.40 is Man of Action.

I won’t be able to ypdate thge site again until next Saturady.  One horse to look out for over the next week is today’s Newcastle winner Comedy Act.

Thre are a few other handicappers to look out for. Suruor ran well at Chester from a bad draw and has a race in him. Best in small fields on fast ground. Mull of Killough ran well in the Lincoln at a time when the stable were out of form and there were excuses for his subsequent defeat. Big Noise was 5th in the Victoria Cup and has a race in him. Webbow will land a big field handicap when things drop right for him and he doesn’t have traffic problems. Fastnet Storm and Roker Park are others that I am monitoring.

Today’s picture is courtesy of Dan Maudsley.

 

There are plenty of meetings tomorrow and a few decent betting opportunities. Up at Newcastle Comedy Act is set to race over 10 furlongs for the first time in the 3.55 which looks likely to suit him on pedigree.

At Newmarket Mata Keranjang sets the standard in the 3.30 while Cool Strike ticks most of the right boxes in the 4.40. Dubai Dynamo has already won once for my Handicap hints list to follow. He should run well, again in the 4.05 where he has an each way shout at around 8/1.

Taste the Victory has finished second on all his three starts in maidens. He makes his handicap debut in the 8.00 at Pontefract where he looks fair value at 5/1.

At Brighton Aestival could be a lot better than his handicap mark in the 3.40 while at Haydock there are encouraging reports about Mick Channon’s Arabian Star.

Picture courtesy of the artist Jane Dunn.

In the 7.10 at Sandown tomorrow Akmal and Darley Sun wpould be my two against the field while Glass Harmonium looks to be in with a good chance in the 7.45. Lord Zenith has an each way chance in the 8.20.

There are a couple to look out for up at Newcastle. In the 8.40 Master Rooney and in the 9.15 Ejteyaaz.

 

I had Bubber, trained by Richard Fahey down as a horse to follow this year but he failed to cover himself in glory on his first start finishing down the field at Thirsk. He is out again tomorrow in the 8.30 at Beverley. He was apprentice ridden at Thirsk but Paul Hannigan is on board tomorrow. Bubber is 4 lbs out of the handicap but with the stable in form he might be worth another chance.

Marlinka, who is related to Soviet Song and Penzance, ran well enough on her racecourse debut when only beaten a head at Warwick. With that experience behind her she should be up to winning the 2.30 at Ffos Las tomorrow.

I have had some success with my list of handicappers to follow with wins from Harrison George and Hamish McGonagall among the recent winners. Shamali represents the list in the 4.45 at Ffos Las and looks to have a good chance.

Picture of Soviet Song is courtesy of the artist Lisa Miller.

Last night’s preview yielded 3 wins and a third from 4 selections so not a bad haul. Things didn’t go quite as well on Saturday although Hamish McGonagall and Balducci were among the winning tips.

There are 4 meetings tomorrow up and down the country. Starting at Thirsk in the 5.25 recent course and distance winner Royal Swain is one to consider. He is just the sort of horse and his trainer Alan Swinbank does so well with. Another that I like is Act of Kalanisi again from a yard that does well with stayers. At odds of around 4/1 Act of Kalanisi just gets my vote.

Udabaa won a maiden over a mile at Kempton but is bred to get further and could well make a winning handicap debut for Marcus Tregoning in the 10 furlong handicap at Leicester (3.30). My other selections at Leicester are Seta (4.00) and Magnetic Force (5.30).

The consistent Tax Free is my only selection at Windsor where he runs in the 7.40. Dandarell has shown bits of promise in his 3 runs in maidens and can make a winning start in handicap company in the 4.15 at Carlisle.

My only selection on Tuesday is Redden who is turned out again in the 4.00 at Lingfield just 3 days after finishing runner up at Haydock and the stable are in good form.

Today’s pictures are courtesy of the artists Ruth Buchanan (top) and Katy Sodeau.

Selections for Sunday

Bath 3.05 Sunny Future

Curragh 2.40 Jan Vermeer

3.40 Fame and Glory

4.15 Music Show

After running well on the all weather last year Jonny Mudball has been well fancied for both his starts on turf this season but has proved a bit disappointing. There may have been valid excuses for these efforts though and he is a horse worth sticking with. He runs in the Goodwood 2.15 tomorrow where he will be ridden by Hayley Turner. He might be worth a small each way interest.

Hayley Turner rides Brunston in the 2.45 for trainer Roger Charlton. A 40/1 winner at Newbury already this season he is a course winner at Goodwood which is always a big plus and he will act on the quick ground.

Beat the Rush impressed when winning at Pontefract last time and there could well be more to come from him. He is my selection in the 2.00 at Haydock where the in form jockey Paul Hannigan will be in the plate.

In the big handicap at 2.30 my two against the field are not very original I am afraid. Our Joe Mac was an unlucky loser at Chester last time and I have had him in my notebook for this race ever since. Balducci has only had four runs in his life and ran a cracker when 2^nd at Newmarket on his handicap debut. Both look open to further improvement and should run well.

The Temple Stakes at 3.00 looks very tough and a case could be made for half a dozen of them. There are 3 I am particularly keen on. Old favourite Borderlescott rarely runs a bad race and showed that he has lost none of his ability when 2^nd at Newmarket earlier this month. He is very closely matched with another ultra consistent sprinter, Benbaun (pictured below) , who he beat by a neck at York last August. This pair are very tough and reliable sprinters and it would be surprising if they are not involved in the finish. The other one I like is Total Gallery who beat both Borderlescott and Benbaun in the Prix de L’Abbaye at Longchamp last season. If pushed for a single selection I would just go with Total Gallery who is much younger than his two rivals and may still be improving.

Anglezarke is yet to find her form this season but on last season’s form would be in with a good chance in the 3.30. Trainer William Haggas started the season slowly but he is firing in the winners now and his 3 year old Redden could be the answer in the 5.15. He runs off an attractive mark and 7 furlongs should be just right for him based on pedigree.

Trip the Light is a winner of 8 races and could well add to that tally in the 2.05 at York where he is a course and distance winner. Halla San is a tough competitor in staying races and was 3rd in the Chester Cup. He looks each way value in the 3.10.

The 3.40 is a competitive sprint handicap. Cheveton may find the ground too quick while Invincible Lad might need the run so I will go with recent course and distance winner Johannes and the consistent Hamish McGonagall as my two against the field. Mr Freddy won at Pontefract on his seasonal reappearance and can follow up in the 5.25.

Dubai Dynamo is in fine form at present and although not having an ideal draw should go well at Chester in the 3.25 where Invincible Force looks the each way value. My other fancy at Chester is Saga de Tercey who should appreciate the step up in distance and has had a recent run to blow the cobwebs away.

The Irish 2,000 Guineas at The Curragh (3.45) looks an open contest. The 3^rd and 4^th from the English version, Canford Cliffs and Xtension turn out here. There are doubts perhaps about stamina with the former and class with the latter but they should be in the shake up. The Ballydoyle pair of Steinbeck and Fencing Master have to command respect while Noll Wallop, who won the trial at Leopardstown is an interesting dark horse. A fascinating race in prospect but not one I have a really strong view on. Elsewhere on the card English raider Jimmy Styles should put up a bold show in the 3.10.

Today’s pictures are courtesy of the artists Sarah Aspinall (The mile start at Goodwood) and Karen Davies (Benbaun).

 

I only managed one winning selection today and that was the very impressive filly Maqaasid, a winner at Sandown on her racecourse debut. Another noteworthy performance was that of Dvinski at Salisbury. Something of a standing dish on this site his win at Salisbury was the 15th of his career. The 9 year old has done most of his winning on the all weather with 11 victories on an artificial surface, 7 of them at Kempton. He must be a super horse to own.

There are plenty of meetings to go at tomorrow and I will tackle them in alphabetical order.

For those of you that like to back horses with interesting names you could try Cereal Killer in the 2.40 at Chepstow. He is out of a mare called Snap Crackle Popp so is quite amusingly named. He has a chance as well! Recent Wolverhampton winner Captain Carey would have a chance in the 3.10.

I had Lileo down as a horse to follow this season after a promising run when trained by Luca Cumani. He is now with a trainer I know very little about so I am a bit wary about going overboard about his chances. He goes in the 3.40, is very well bred and Hayley Turner has the ride. The 4.10 looks to be between Cairnsmore and Mubuya.

In the 8.30 at Haydock Tuscan Gold looks a typical 3 year old improver from a very canny stable and is sure to appreciate the trip.

At Yarmouth I am keen on the chances of Wake up Call (2.30) and Aestival (5.00).

Today’s picture is courtesy of the artist Susan Shaw.

Good luck if you are having a bet.

 

We drew a bland for the second day running this afternoon although Hypnotized was only beaten a neck.

At Haydock tomorrow the two top weights are of interest in the 3.25. Both Webbow and Fastnet Storm have a race in them I feel but maybe they both need to come down just a few pounds in the ratings first. Webbow needs conditions to be in his favour as he is best attacking from a fast pace. I would be inclined to oppose them both but they will be winning before the season is out.

At Salisbury Sleeping Wolf, by the new sire Sleeping Indian, could win first time up in the 6.00. At Sandown the well bred Maqaasid is one to look out for in the 5.50, while in the 6.20 Rock A Doodle Doo should benefit from the test of stamina in the 6.50.

The well regarded Treble Jig is my selection in the 6.50. The 7.25 could be between Towbaat and Spoken. If pushed for a single selection I would just prefer Spoken.

Today’s picture is courtesy of the artist Jane Dunn.