ahorse

There is racing at Beverley tomorrow where the card gets under way with a valuable 10 furlong handicap at 2.20. Drill Sergeant should appreciate the conditions as he has won with some ease in the ground and was runner up, albeit beaten 6 lengths, behind Perks at Haydock in heavy ground at Haydock on his latest start. He may well start favourite and should be in the shake up. By Command was an impressive winner at Windsor in April but has not built on that success since. Whilst not ruling him out he does have something to prove now. Tiger Dream won a maiden at Thirsk on fast ground in April but has not won since and is possibly a little high in the weights. Unbreak My Heart is quite an interesting runner. He shaped well last season winning a couple of nursery handicaps at Windsor and Goodwood. He was runner up last time out at Haydock and his record with an “s” in the going description reads 1122. He would be my each way selection. Before leaving Beverley I must point out, for the benefit of his “fan club” that old Legal Set runs in the 3.55 but he has a miserable draw and he is miles out of the handicap.

Luca Cumani’s Sandbuch has featured in these pages several times this season and has generally not let his supporters down. He was runner up in the Doncaster November Handicap at the end of last season and he was a winner at Goodwood on his last run. He returns to the Sussex track tomorrow where he tackles listed company for the first time in the 2.45. It will be interesting to see if he can step up in class successfully. One of his main rivals might be the front running Tungsten Strike who won this race last year. These would be my two against the field on a track where the ability to act of the course can be very important.

Raven’s Pass has had the misfortune to run into Henrythenavigator three times this season and to his great credit he ran him pretty close on the last occasion. He has run really well this season at the highest level without actually winning. He should have too much class for the opposition in the 3.15 as long as his exertions already this season haven’t taken their toll. One word of caution though, no 3 year old has won the race since 2001 and there could be a doubt about Ravens Pass on soft ground. Of the opposition Bankable looks the main danger. After winning an Ascot handicap and a listed race at Goodwood he was 5^th from an impossible draw in the Royal Hunt Cup. He then ran a close second to Passage of Time in a listed race at Newbury over 10 furlongs. Back to a mile tomorrow, he acts on both the track and the going and is by no means out of it. Docofthebay was second to Pipedreamer in the Cambridgeshire last season only getting 4 lbs and then was second in the Royal Hunt Cup. He is another with chances but I will stick with Raven’s Pass as my selection.

I thought that Rose Diamond ran well in 5^th at Ascot on her last outing and given that the extra distance of the 3.45 should be in her favour I would give her an each way chance.

The last race on the card, a 6 furlong handicap, has not been a lucky one for 3 year olds, with only one winner from that age group in the last decade. Despite that I fancy Film Maker to buck the trend tomorrow. I thought he ran quite well at Newmarket on the first of this month and if he handles the going he could give us a run for our money.

Duke of Marmalade is the form pick in the Newmarket 3.35. He accounted for both Pipedreamer and Phoenix Tower at Royal Ascot and should finish in front of that pair again. I am going to take a chance with the younger generation in the shape of New Approach though. He comes here a fresh horse and should handle the ground.

There are a couple more runners from my list to follow on the Newmarket card; Floristry (3.05) and Amaakin (4.45).

I put Marajaa on my list to follow at the start of the season and I feel he could be one to pop up at a decent price. He runs tomorrow in the Windsor 7.20.

Moving on to Sunday there is just one runner from my list to follow in action at Beverley. Piverina runs in the 4.50 for trainer Julie Camacho. This 3 year old is no world beater but based on her 3^rd at Carlisle on her last run might be worth a small each way interest.

There are a couple of runners from my list to follow in the 2.10 at Goodwood. Since winning at Haydock back in May on fast ground Missioner appears to have gone backwards. It is hard to fancy him on recent form but Roaring Forte has a better chance. He has been a beaten favourite on both his runs this season but it may be that he needs ground of the soft side and if getting those conditions on Sunday is worth another chance.

In the 5.05 Amanda Perrett gives a debut run to Wilfred Pickles. This colt’s dam is a half sister to a horse called Shield that won the Sandown Classic Trial in 2003 before coming 10^th in the Derby of that year. Sadly he then suffered a fatal accident and in fact only ran 4 times.

In the 2.30 at Yarmouth Celtic Rebel makes his debut. He is a half brother to Celtic Sultan who won a handicap at the May meeting at Chester this season. He is trained by Simon Callaghan.

Today’s pictures are by kind permission of the artist Karen Davies.

Bye for now.

The weather forecast for the weekend seems a little better but unfortunately we have already lost racing at Newcastle tomorrow. On the positive side some of the races from the abandoned York card have been relocated elsewhere and will add to the interest tomorrow.

I will go through Friday’s meetings in alphabetical order, so first stop will be Bath. I have done quite well over the years following John Dunlop’s 3 year olds and Fearless Warrior went on my list to follow at the start of the season. I am always reluctant to give up on horses like this one as in the past they have tended to improve with time, but in truth Fearless Warrior has not shown much in his recent runs. He has come down in the weights and wears first time blinkers so I wouldn’t rule him out in the Bath 7.00.

There are a couple of runners from my list to follow in action up at Hamilton, Scanno (7.50) and Rossini’s Dancer (8.20). The latter has the better chance having finished 3^rd at Beverley last week.

Art Connoisseur lost his unbeaten record at The Curragh but may have been beaten by a really top class horse. He may be able to regain winning ways in the 1.45 at Newbury.

Sweet Lilly won 4 times as a two year old for Mick Channon and I see that her full brother Eddie Boy makes his debut in the 3.20 for trainer Michael Bell.

Proclaim gave me a winning tip when he won at Chester last month and I think I will stick with him tomorrow in the Newbury 2.50. He is a half brother to the decent handicapper Dhaular Dhar.

The 3.25 is one of the races that have been rerouted from York. Luca Cumani was the winning trainer last season and this year he is represented by Bauer. He has a big chance here with the one worry being the ground. He has yet to win a race with an “s” in the going description. Milne Graden is in the “could be anything” category. He is inexperienced for a race of this calibre but has only run 4 times in his career, winning 3, and is certainly open to improvement. He is by Montjeu and should handle some ease in the ground. He was disappointing when losing his unbeaten record at Goodwood last time out when 6^th behind Sandbuch, a stable companion of Bauer. It is too soon to rule him out yet though.

Pippa Greene was an impressive winner at Ascot last month over 12 furlongs. He shaped as though the extra distance tomorrow would not inconvenience him and he does appear to handle any ground.

Pevensey has run some good races this year without actually winning. He finished well when runner up at York in May and was then 4^th in the Old Newton Cup at Haydock. He could only finish 14^th of 15 on his last run in the race won by Pippa Greene. He wore a visor on that occasion but it is left off tomorrow. He is a winner over hurdles so the distance tomorrow shouldn’t be a problem. Good ground suits him well but his form has been rather in and out.

Course and distance winner Tropical Strait is interesting as he comes into this race on the back of a win here only last week, for which he has a 4 lbs penalty. If he has fully recovered from that race he would be in with a chance.

Luca Cumani is very shrewd when preparing horses for these big handicaps and Bauer would be my choice if the ground dries out sufficiently.

Sovereign’s Honour has been contesting Group races but remains a maiden after 4 starts. She ought to win the 4.15 but will start at a very short price.

The Yorkshire Oaks has been switched to Newmarket tomorrow (2.05). Sir Michael Stoute has supplied the winner of this race 4 times in the last 10 years and his Allegretto is very much respected. Three year olds do have a good record in the race though and I am tempted to side with Lush Lashes who looked unlucky when 2^nd at Good wood last time. I would also expect Dar Re Mi to run well, but Lush Lashes gets the nod.

The Nunthorpe (3.05), another race rescheduled from York could well go to Kingsgate Naïve who won the race last season as a 2 year old. Sakhee’s Secret was most disappointing on his last run at Ascot, but taking the line that something must have been amiss that day it wouldn’t surprise me to see him bounce back to form tomorrow particularly on fast ground. The King’s Stand winner Equiano would be a big danger as well.

Pacific Pride and Tudor Prince represent my list to follow in the 4.10, which looks a very open contest, while the admirable Birkside is another runner from the list in the 5.15 where he will be looking for his 14^th win since the 30^th of May last year.

My thanks to John Thurm for today’s photograph.

I am off to follow the Olympics on the TV. See you tomorrow!

For those of you following the Olympics there will be an equestrian element to the sports on show over the next couple of days thanks to the Modern Pentathlon. 

The Modern Pentathlon became an Olympic event in 1912, with a separate competition for women introduced in 2000.

The 5 sports of modern pentathlon are shooting, fencing, swimming, show jumping and running.  They represent the daring adventures of a French cavalry officer whose horse was brought down in enemy territory while he was delivering a message.  He defended himself with his pistol and sword, then swam across a raging river before delivering his message on foot.

Back home tomorrow’s racing has again been decimated by the weather but it does look as if Chester’s evening meeting should survive as well as some all weather action at Great Leighs.

Montjeu has made a successful start to his stud career and is the sire of such stars as Authorized, Hurricane Run and Motivator. He is also the sire of First Avenue who runs in the 6.10 at Chester tomorrow. First Avenue has form figures this season of 3322 but there are reasons to hope that he might be able to get his head in front tomorrow. Montjeu’s progeny tend to prefer soft ground and indeed First Avenue won as a 2 year old in good to soft going at Yarmouth. His main danger could come from Leslingtaylor, a versatile sort that boasts 12 career wins including 4 over hurdles and 2 over fences.

If you are thinking of having a flutter on the 8.10 you will need to watch your bets as both Madam Hoi and Madam Rio are entered.

Formation, trained by Ed Dunlop was a winner at Pontefract earlier in the season but has been beaten twice since. He is clearly a horse with plenty of ability but does look like a bit of a character and needs to be cajoled along a bit. He runs in the 5.00 at Great Leighs tomorrow. He has won on the all weather before, at Wolverhampton as a 2 year old.

Today’s picture is by courtesy of the artist Jo Stockdale.

Disappointingly day 2 of the York Ebor meeting has been rained off and we have also lost racing at Carlisle to the weather.

Hopefully Folkestone and Hamilton will go ahead. Hamilton is Scotland’s only dedicated flat racing track. It was also the first track in Britain to stage an evening fixture on 18^th July 1947. Sir Mark Prescott does well with the runners he sends up to Hamilton and he has Astrodome entered in the 12 furlong handicap at 4.50. Astrodome is going for a hat trick of wins at Hamilton, although he has some way to go to match the achievements of his half sister Alambic, as she won 6 times in 2006, only one of the wins coming at Hamilton though.

The other runner at Hamilton from my list to follow is Peruvian Prince in the claimer at 3.40. He put in some good performances last season, including a second to Greek Well at York but he has not been able to reproduce that sort of form this time around.

Over in Ireland they race at Tralee. The great Dawn Run has a Tralee connection as she won a bumper there were she was ridden by her 63 year old owner.  (Since penning these notes Tralee has been called off as well due to waterlogging.)

It won’t be too long now before we can start thinking about the jumps season, we certainly have the weather for it at the moment. Champion trainer Paul Nicholls will no doubt have a big say in the destination of many of the big prizes; in fact he claimed the Galway Plate at the end of last month with Oslot so he has already got the ball rolling. As a reminder of his successes last season the picture below (courtesy of the artist Lisa Miller) is of the first 3 home in the Cheltenham Gold Cup, Denman, Kauto Star and Neptune Collonges.

The next update will be tomorrow evening when hopefully we will be able to look forward to some racing from York.

The going seems likely to play a major part in at the first day of York’s Ebor meeting, with heavy ground forecast.

In the sprint handicap at 1.45 I am going to keep the selection process simple. Green Park has won twice on heavy ground, was second last time out so is in good form and races off a mark lower than his last win.

In the Juddmonte International at 3.25 I just wonder if New Approach will find the ground more to his liking than Duke of Marmalade. Phoenix Tower could be the one to give the front two most to think about.

Charlie Tokyo seems to be a horse that is at his best when the mud is flying. He won the John Smith’s Cup at York last season on heavy ground and looks worth an each way interest in the 4.40. To be honest though, it is probably best to approach day one of the meeting with caution given the state of the going.

Over in Beijing I see we are neck and neck with the Aussies in the medals table. They had a good win in the Women’s Triathlon today, a fairly new Olympic Sport that more than earns its keep at the games. If you are interested in such trivia you might like to know that Banjo Patterson, a runner in the Brighton 2.35 tomorrow, is named after the guy who penned the words to Waltzing Matilda. The horse is out of a mare called Rumpipumpy. As I can’t think of an acceptable way to follow that I will sign off for tonight. Tune in tomorrow for a look forward to day 2 of the York meeting.

My thanks to David Hebb for allowing me to use his photograph of York racecourse.

As usual I will concentrate mainly on the prospects for the horses from my list to follow over the next couple of days.

Cruel Sea and Melodramatic run at Bath in the 4.30 in the Dick Hern Stakes. One of my earliest racing systems revolved around trainer Hern and jockey Joe Mercer, especially when they combined at Newbury. Anyway, back to the race! Melodramatic won a Nottingham maiden back in May and then ran second to the grey Rosa Grace in a listed race for fillies at Newbury over 10 furlongs. She then disappointed when back to a mile of faster ground at Sandown. She has an each way chance on her best form. Cruel Sea won a Doncaster maiden as a 2 year old but after a promising reappearance when 2^nd at Newmarket she has disappointed since, tending to race too keenly. She has been racing on fast ground and it is possible that an easier surface may bring about some improvement.

Floristry and Quiet Elegance represent my list to follow in the Pontefract 3.40. It may be that Quiet Elegance need soft ground so she could run well at a big price if we get enough rain. Floristry should be fitter for her recent run at Doncaster and if she can pick up where she left off last season when landing a hat trick on wins she would have an each way chance.

I had high hopes for Roaring Forte this season but he has proved expensive to follow thus far. He was a beaten favourite when second at Newmarket last time but may have found the going a bit quick that day and is worth another chance in the 4.10. The other runner from my list to follow in this race is Bigfanofthat who is likely to be the outsider of the party. After winning at Ayr on fast ground on his debut he suffered a set back and didn’t run again until April this year when down the field behind Perks at Doncaster. He was well thought of by connections but it appears that he has been difficult to train.

Baybshanbles has been one of the more successful horses on my list winning 3 times. He carries top weight in the 5.10 at Pontefract but is only 2 lbs higher than when recording his last win.

The main interest for me at Windsor on Monday evening will be to see if Aleatricis can win a 6^th consecutive race in the 5.30. Interestingly he wears first time blinkers. 19 year old Rosie Jessop has the ride and she has already won on him twice.

In the 6.00 there is a good word for the William Haggas trained newcomer Dream Date. Of those that have previous experience Tropical Paradise has been placed on both her starts.

There are a couple of runners from my list to follow in the sprint handicap at 8.00. 9 year old Caribbean Coral is not the force of old but is well handicapped and seems to handle any ground. Like Caribbean Coral Hereford Boy has won once this season but despite subsequent defeats is still a couple of lbs above his highest winning mark.

Karl Burke’s Merrion Tiger looks capable of picking up a small race off his current mark. He wears a first time visor in the 7.20 at Yarmouth.

Today’s picture is by kind permission of the artist Vicky Young

My selections this week have won a few silver and bronze medals but gold has been hard to come by. Astrodome won up at Hamilton and Dar Re Mi went in at Deauville but I was relieved when Tropical Strait gave me a 10/1 winner this afternoon under a confident Seb Sanders ride. Things got even better later in the afternoon at Nottingham with Hawk Mountain winning at 3/1 by 7 lengths easing down.

One of the big betting heats tomorrow is likely to be The Great St Wilfrid Handicap at Ripon (4.00). My parents were going to name me Wilfrid until my sister intervened so perhaps I should take a particular interest in this race!

This does look a tricky puzzle to solve with Dandy Nicholls, as always in these sprint handicaps, having a strong hand. One of his runners that comes into this race in excellent form is Valery Borzov a winner last time out at Haydock on heavy ground. He settled much better at Haydock than he has been doing lately and he is a horse with tremendous early pace. He has a middle draw which may not be ideal. Northern Dare and Joseph Henry, two other Nicholls runners both have low draws. No horse starting from a single figure draw has won in the last 7 years but being too dogmatic about draw bias is always dangerous strategy. Joseph Henry was 4^th in the Haydock race won by Valery Borzov but rather spoiled his chances by hanging left, something he has a tendency to do. He has only won once since 2004. Northern Dare looks the sort to come in at a nice price in one of these tight handicaps. His best recent run was at the Curragh when he was runner up in a 22 horse handicap over 6.5 furlongs. He has won on both good to firm and heavy so ground conditions do not seem to matter to him. Even though he has not won in his last 9 starts he comes here on a career high mark of 90 which would worry me a little. Another interesting Nicholls entry is Tajneed, who was with Dermot Weld last year. One theory when looking at multiple entries from the Nicholls team is to go with the choice of jockey Adrian, son of the trainer, and this time he has plumped for Tajneed.

Knot in Wood ran a creditable race when 6^th in the Stewards Cup and had won at Hamilton the time before that. In the Hamilton race Knot in Wood beat Baby Strange by a nose but his rival is weighted to reverse the form this time as he is 4 lbs better off. Dhaular Dhar has been in the form of his life this year, winning at Doncaster and coming 2^nd in two valuable handicaps at Ascot. Those races were over 7 furlongs though and he drops back to 6 here. He is also on a career high mark. Fullandby has what may be a nice draw and showed he is no back number when 2^nd at Ayr last time. He has won on good to firm but is probably best with some give in the ground. Conquest is not the most reliable but he certainly put his best foot forward on his last start when winning the Stewards Cup at Goodwood. He is another that seems to appreciate some juice in the ground.

It is difficult to choose between the Nicholls runners so I am going for Baby Strange who deserves to win a big race having been denied by a nose on his last two starts.

Staying with the sprinters, Newmarket stage their annual handicap exclusively for grey horses at 2.55. I am tempted to go for the top weight Zowington in this at around 12/1 but he does seem best when fresh and he last ran a couple of weeks ago. The 10 year old Certain Justice was second last year only beaten a short head. He runs off the same mark of 70 tomorrow and is in fair form having finished runner up on his last start. He usually runs well at Newmarket and he is the selection.

Earlier on the Newmarket card there is a runner from my list to follow in the 2.25. The secret to Just Two Numbers may be the ground as he doesn’t seem to want it too quick. He would have an each way chance with the ground on the soft side.

Another runner from my list to follow with a bit of a chance is Kiwi Bay in the 4.40. He was an impressive winner at Redcar in June but was rather collared by the handicapper as a result. He was a decent 4^th over 7 furlongs on his last outing and the step up to a mile tomorrow may help him. He may just be on slightly too high a mark though.

At Newbury I will be interested in the performance of the Godolphin colt Suba in the 4.25. He is a half brother to the Irish 2,000 Guineas winner Dubawi.

There are a few meetings on Sunday so l will be back tomorrow evening to have a look at those.

The pictures today are by kind permission of the artist Katie Sodeau

Did you know that one of the British competitors at the 1896 Olympics in Athens delighted the home fans by reading out an ode he had written in ancient Greek at the closing ceremony?

Well, there haven’t been any odes so far but it’s been enjoyable nonetheless. Team GB (why not just call them the British Team), have won a smattering of medals and there looks as though there could be more to come yet. We haven’t had the best of days so far though with defeats in the boxing and badminton and the ladies hockey team are losing.

I have always found the Olympics fascinating, ever since I watched the Rome games when I was at school. I end up watching sports that I wouldn’t normally have much interest in. The weather in Beijing looks pretty miserable today and here at home we have lost tomorrow’s meeting at Newcastle to the rain. There are still 4 meetings to look at though so here goes.

At least the all weather meetings should be safe from the unseasonable weather and there is an evening card at Kempton Park. In the 8.25 Missioner represents my list to follow. A winner at Haydock in May his last 3 starts have been uninspiring and this will be his first try on the all weather. He drops back to a mile tomorrow after being tried unsuccessfully at 10 and 12 furlongs. He was tried in blinkers at Newmarket on his last run and I see that the headgear has been left off this time. The drop back in trip may help but he isn’t one I could give a strong recommendation for. Another horse in the race, Visions of Johanna could be interesting. He has only had 3 runs with form figures that read 221. His win only came in a small race at Sandown but the 3^rd horse that day has won since franking the form. Visions of Johanna is named after rather a long song by Bob Dylan. By the way, if anyone understands the lyrics perhaps they can drop me an e-mail!

City Stable was placed on his 3 starts as a 2 year old but could only manage 7^th of 8 at Leicester on his reappearance this season. He runs in the 6.45 at Catterick tomorrow. Previous comments in the form book seem to indicate that he may need a galloping track in which case Catterick may not suit. His form as a juvenile puts him up with the favourites though.

One that could run well, at Newbury in the 1.50 at a working man’s price is Tropical Strait. He didn’t see a racecourse until he was 4 last season when he started his career by finishing 2^nd in a Haydock bumper. He didn’t finish out of the first 4 last season, winning twice on the all weather and running a cracker in the November Handicap at Doncaster when he was 4^th behind some decent horses, such as Malt or Mash and Sandbuch. He should strip fitter for his first run of the season in June over an inadequate distance and goes to Newbury with an each way chance on ground that should suit him.

Illustrious Blue has struggled to find his form this season but he did put up a more promising show on his last run at Goodwood. Having said that though he has won 5 times at Goodwood, so he may not necessarily be able to repeat form at the Sussex track elsewhere. He runs in the conditions stakes (7.35) at Newmarket tomorrow and he is 12/1 in the Racing Post. One interesting fact about his record is that all his wins have come on good ground.

At Nottingham I quite like the look of Hawk Mountain in the last race at 4.45. He stepped up on previous efforts in his last race when he finished 3^rd at Pontefract. Whatever he does on the flat I wouldn’t be surprised to see him over hurdles in the winter.

My thanks to David Hebb for the photo of Catterick racecourse.

Bye for now.

The racing this week has been dross in the main, not that my tipping has been much better! I did give the John Dunlop 3 year old Perks a positive write up prior to his win at Haydock on Saturday though and I feel he could be one to keep an eye on for the remainder of the season. He has only been raised 9 lbs for his comprehensive win which does not seem over harsh. He also seems to handle most types of going which is a plus.

In the more immediate future Sir Mark Prescott’s 2 year old filly Florentia (pictured below) appeals as a likely winner of the 2.40 at Beverley tomorrow. She is a half sister to 8 winners which is a good start, and she showed some promise on her debut run when she finished 4^th at Sandown last week. A danger may come from Impressible. This filly is bred for speed being a half sister to Reverence by the top sprinter Oasis Dream. Although she is yet to get off the mark after 4 runs she shaped quite well last time at Chester over 6 furlongs and this shorter trip may suit her better.

Another dropping down in trip is William Blake in the 3.15. He ran well at Goodwood in a 12 furlong handicap before fading in the latter stages. Before that he had been second against older horses at Ascot over 10 furlongs. He runs over a mile and a quarter tomorrow and he is a course and distance winner. Another that deserves a mention in this race is Tufton who comes here on the back of 2 wins. His trainer has won this race 3 times in the last 5 years.

Rossini’s Dancer has not been one of the more successful horses on my list to follow and remains a maiden after 10 races. He runs in the 5.00 at Beverley in an amateur riders handicap but given his form this season I wouldn’t be confident about his chances.

John Gosden’s Dar Re Mi has been running consistently well this season winning twice. She goes over to France tomorrow to contest the Group 3 fillies race at Deauvile (3.20) and goes there with every chance.

Celtic Spur was an inexpensive purchase for trainer Andrew Balding but he made an encouraging start to his career when 2^nd on his debut at Kempton. With the talented apprentice David Probert on board he might surprise the more fancied runners in the 6.00 at Great Leighs.

General Ting gives the impression that he is not the most tractable of horses but he certainly has some ability. Already a winner at Nottingham this season he should go well in the 6.30 at Great Leighs where Seb Sanders has the ride.

Lastly, James Fanshawe’s Redford has gone up in the weights this season which might make him difficult to place in handicaps. He takes his chance at Group, 3 level tomorrow in the 4.15 at Salisbury but will need a career best performance to win. He seems best suited by ease in the ground so some rain would help his cause.

The picture of Florentia is by kind permission of British 2YO Racing