Johannes won the 1.30 at York last season and off the same mark must be respected this time as well. He is a short enough price though and I prefer to look for better value. Courageous should be all the better for his run at Newbury last season and although he hasn’t actually won for nearly 3 years he is the sort of horse that his new trainer does well with. At around 14/1 he is worth a small interest.
In the 2.00 it is hard to fault the form of Midday and she is preferred to Music Show.
The Dante Stakes at 2.30 is usually a good pointer to the Derby and this year looks a decent renewal. World Domination won impressively on his racecourse debut and is a serious challenger for Henry Cecil. Carlton House is owned by The Queen and won a maiden at Newbury last October. The one with the best form on show is Seville from the in form Aiden O’Brien stable and he is narrowly preferred to the other two in a race that is largely guesswork.
Newbury Spring Cup winner Light from Mars is in good form and has an each way chance in the 3.00.
My best bet at Newmarket is Lyric Street in the 7.25. He showed enough promise on his only start last season to suggest that he can win a race of this nature.
I am going to try to get a couple at decent prices at Salisbury with Sluggsy Morant (3.45) and Mafeteng (4.20).
My thanks to Karen Davies for today’s picture.
ahorse 