Category: Racing diary

 

Redcar

2.00 Eastern Destiny looks potentially well handicapped and has won with some give in the ground. In with a chance here if handling the testing ground.

Windsor

6.40 Buster Brown could be better than his from figures suggest and could win off his current mark. Burnham is the other one I like. He has just had the 3 runs to earn a handicap mark and looks the type to improve now he has been stepped up in distance. Burnham is the selection.

8.10 Man of Plenty won at Windsor over a mile last month and this additional distance should bring out further improvement. Polydamos could be well handicapped and looks a tempting price but I am not sure about his ability to handle soft ground.

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

 

Ascot

2.20 Aiken is on a winning run, handles the ground and is a course and distance winner. He looks the one to be on here.

2.50 The two I fancy are Free Verse and Chatterati. The former is a winner on soft ground and gets the nod.

5.10 Rocket Rob is one for the notebook. He is best on fast ground so I will avoid him today but he is dropping down the weighst and there may be a race in him when the weather bucks up a bit!

5.40 This is a tricky little race. Grumeti was third in the Triumph Hurdle and went on to win at Aintree. Back on the flat here he is very much respected. Viking Storm is a consistent sort and comes here on the back of a win at Lingfield. He stays this trip well but may prefer faster ground. Lord of the House won 3 times lasts season all with give in the ground. He stays well (will stay further than this) and I would just give him the edge over Grumeti.

Haydock

4.50 Tidal Way has a likeable attitude, is a distance winner and is unsuited by cut in the ground. Added to the fact that he has dropped a couple of pounds since his last run and he looks value here.

Lingfield

2.20 Fallen for You, a recent winner at Kempton is bred along middle distance lines but has won at this trip and is worth an interest.

2.40 Vow comes from a winning family and made a successful start to her own career at Newbury. She looks a worthy favourite for this Oaks trial.

3.10 Shantaram, Main Sequence and Hallings Quest and are the trio I like. I think they will finish in that order.

Nottingham

3.50 It might be worth going for an outsider in this sprint. Vocational and Roger Sez are the apir that catch my eye with Roger Sez the more likely to handle the ground.

4.25 Split stake Zakreet and Just Fabulous.

Thirsk selections

7.05 Lordofthehouse

8.45 Secret City

Picture courtesy of the artist Jane Dunn

Ascot

6.35 Fennell Bay & Now My Sun

Chester

2.05 Bonfire

Hamilton

8.25 Gowanharry

Lingfield

3.50 Periphery

 

Chester

2.05 I think there will be races to be won with Glen’s Diamond this season. He won the Dee Stakes over course and distance last season before sustaining an injury. There is the suspicion that he will be suited by longer trips this year. He has an each way chance here but look out for him over 2 miles later in the season.

2.35 I will take a chance on the Newmarket maiden winner Model Pupil from a stable that do well at this meeting.

3.05 Boris Grigoriev may be better than his odds would suggest but the soft ground may not be ideal. My selection is course winner Gabrial although as both his wins have come on good to firm he will need to prove he can handle the ground.

Goodwood selection

2.50 Expert Fighter

Yarmouth selection

5.20 Great Heavens

 

Chester

2.05 Betterbetterbetter won a small race easily at Dundalk and comes from a stable with an excellent record in this race. She is open to plenty of improvement and may well win but she is likely to start favourite and I would prefer to look for value elsewhere. Cubanita was runner up on her debut last season behind Bonfire who went on to finish 3^rd in a Group 1. She then won at Nottingham on soft ground. Her pedigree suggests that she should get this trip and at around 6/1 she seems value.

2.35 Gulf of Naples was my original fancy for this but he will have his work cut out from stall 19. Last year’s winner Overturn is another to consider in a race that looks even trickier than usual.

4.45 Third Half only won a Wolverhampton maiden last season but should improve for this longer trip and at 10/1 looks an interesting each way prospect. Rosslyn Castle looked good when winning at Windsor but he has the outside draw which is a bit of a worry. Last season Montaser won a Ffos Las maiden before coming 2^nd in a nursery handicap on soft ground. He ran into traffic problems on his seasonal reappearance at Doncaster and finished well when getting a clearer run. He looks the danger in this. At current odds Montaser is just preferred.

Kempton

8.00 This looks a winning opportunity for Priceless Jewel a winner of a maiden at Newbury last season.

Southwell

2.55 Painted Tail is my best bet at Southwell.

 

I will not be bale to update the site for a few days.  Here is a list of horses that are entered over the next week (flat only) and will be worth considering if taking up their engagements.

Aleksandar, Amphora, Arabic, Autarch, B Fifty Two, Border Revia, Boris Grigoriev, Caravan Rolls On, Caspar Netscher, Crius, Chatterati, Discourse, Dubarshi, Es Que Love, Fallen for You, Fencing, Fennell Bay, Fiorente, Gold Edition, Gulf of Naples, Lawn Jamil, Jawim, Johnno, Jonny Delta, Jupiter Storm, Lyric of Light, Like Clockwork, Main Line, Masked Marvel, Mezzotint, Might Ambition, Never Perfect, Party Line, Princess of Orange, Redact, Saharan Air, Sea Moon, Shamahan, Silver Blaze, Star Kingdom, Stencive, Sun Central, Teacher, The Fugue, Times Up, Top Offer, Trumpet Major, Sea Fever, Strada Facendo.

 

Sandown

4.15 The Irish raider Imperial Monarch looks the one to be on here. He looked a bright prospect when pulling clear of his field in a maiden at The Curragh last September.

Doncaster

6.40 I was impressed with the way in which Farang Kondiew won at Ayr last September. He looks on a reasonable handicap mark.

7.10 High Jinx and Danadana are my two against the field.

7.55 Now My Sun only ran twice last season winning first time out. He showed greenness in both runs and has been gelded since last season. He has the potential to win a handicap or two.

8.25 Sir Graham Wade was a very disappointing beaten favourite on his seasonal reappearance but is worth another chance.

Ripon

4.05 Gulf of Naples is lightly raced for a 4 year old with only 6 runs. He is open to stacks of improvement and can win this on his way to better things.

 

Sandown

1.15 The unbeaten Rafeej looks the one to beat here.

1.50 Trader Jack won on soft ground at Ffos Las last season so he should be able to handle the conditions.

2.55 Oojooba and Daneking are the pair I like here. Daneking looks on a reasonable mark and should stay further than this eventually. Oojooba should handle the soft ground given his pedigree.

3.30 Starboard should win this 3 horse race although he will be a short price.

Doncaster

3.20 Pearl Secret impressed when scoring in a York maiden on his only run last season. Bred to appreciate some cut in the ground.

4.30 This could be quite an informative contest with a number of powerful stables represented. Beyond Conceit won on heavy ground as a 2 year old so clearly is not short of stamina. Deia Sunrise won over a mile at Newcastle lasts season and looks the type to improve as he is related to a number of winners. Scrupul had three runs last season to qualify him for handicaps and looks on the sort of mark that his trainer is adept at exploiting. He will stay further than this in time. Counsel is another that could be very well handicapped and is almost certainly better than he has shown thus far. If pushed to narrow my choice down I would choose the scopey Counsel.

5.00 I think Rocket has a race or two in him. He has won off a mark 8 lbs higher than his current rating. He seems unlikely to relish soft ground however so I will pass him by on this occasion.

Picture by kind permission of the artist Sue Malkin

 

Beverley

3.45 Byronic Hero is not an obvious choice but he won at Pontefract last season and he has had a run already this term so should be race fit. With 8 runners in the race he has an each way chance at around 16/1.

4.20 Party Line was only beaten a head at Leicester recently. Looks a typically tough sort from the Mark Johnston yard and can go one better here.

4.55 Warcrown is well regarded by his trainer and can step up on lasts season’s efforts.

 

We are on quite a good run at the moment with 2 from 3 today.  Here are my selections for Wednesday

Epsom

2.50 Aiken

5.00 Jumeira Palm Star

Kempton

7.55 Split stake between Lucky Henry and Eraada

Perth

2.30 Ambion Wood

4.05 Blenheim Brook

Punchestown

5.30 Rubi Light

6.05 Champagne Fever