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Friday 22 July 2011

Friday July 15th.

A fairly quiet week on the 'interesting run' front but I did notice a couple at Newmarket at the Friday evening meeting.

It is a touch difficult to describe the run of KALENDAR GIRL who went off joint-favourite for this event, a ten furlong Class 5 (0-70) handicap, she travelled very well until meeting minor interference about two out and then she dropped away a little, as if not getting the trip, but by the time they got to the uphill finish she was running on again. The trainer/jockey combination of Musson and Ahern suggests that there may be more to come.
She has two entries next Wednesday both over stiff miles (Sandown and Leicester) and she runs off the same mark. I'm not convinced she didn't get home over the July course but she will be worth looking out for in midweek.


The other to take my eye was AMOYA in the lucky last, a seven furlong Class 5 (0-75) handicap. Completely un-fancied at 40/1 and ridden by a 5lb. claimer, Ashley Morgan, she was denied a clear run approaching two out and had to be switched left to see some daylight, any chance she had was gone but she kept on well to the line without a lot of effort from the saddle. She is still a maiden after 12 runs but showed enough here to suggest a small race, possibly over further on softer ground, is within her capabilities.
She has been dropped a pound and has two entries next week, one over 7f. at Yarmouth on Monday and the other over 9f. at Sandown on Wednesday. Worth a look I feel.



Friday 15 July 2011

Saturday July 9th.

Can you have too much good racing?

I would have said............NO!................but this day's racing put some doubt in my mind.

Ascot, Chester, Newmarket and York in the afternoon and if your appetite hadn't been sated by the time (6.05) the Saltmarsh Partnership Handicap at Ascot well Hamilton had already started at 6.00 and Salisbury was to follow at 6.15.............Burp!!

Perhaps Sunday should be used more.

Lots of competitive handicaps and there were two or three interesting runs.

The first of these was in the Bunbury Cup at Newmarket. LOVELACE, trained by David Nicholls and ridden by his boy, Adrian, missed the break and then raced very keenly, he was taken over to the far rail where he didn't have the clearest of runs, he was then switched and finished with a flourish up the hill. It was a run that suggested that the horse is in good form, if a little fresh after a two-month break. He has won over seven furlongs and a mile and he has entries in two heritage handicaps in the coming weeks, a seven furlong event at Ascot and one over a mile at Goodwood. Probably worth looking at if he takes up either or both entries.


The John Smith's at York was won in impressive style by Green Destiny and there was one particular performance that caught most people's eye, that was by Saptadi, and to listen to some all he has to do is to turn up at York next month to take the Ebor. I'm looking further back in the field to two Richard Fahey runners. DEMOLITION  was making his seasonal debut and he was making ground from the back of the field shortly after they entered the straight but he ran into a wall of horses and wasn't persevered with afterwards. He is running off a mark in the low nineties at the moment, approximately 10lbs. higher than his best winning effort. He hasn't any early closing entries at the moment but if the handicapper cuts him a bit of slack I'm sure his trainer can place him to win. PLEASANT DAY who finished one place behind his stable companion, and ran a very similar race to him, was carrying a 5lbs. penalty for a win at Ripon. He has an entry for a mile heritage handicap at Goodwood but there is a possibility he won't get into that, but again this run can be forgotten and an eye should be kept on this one's entries.


Another horse that has an entry in that Goodwood heritage handicap is CAPTAIN BERTIE, who was made favourite for the Class 3 8f. handicap at York 3.55.,brought wide on to the stand rail he was making a nice run when hampered, he lost all chance and Eddie Ahern just accepted the situation. He has been in good form of late but he will probably have to win a race in the next week or two if he is to get into that Goodwood race.


The last eye-catcher for this posting and guess what? She has an entry in that Goodwood Mile, but is unlikely to get in. BONNIE BRAE is the filly and she ran in the Ascot 4.55, a Class 3 0-90 handicap over seven furlongs. Adam Kirby had her held up at the back of the field, going well, but when he made his move he just caught the heels of SONG OF THE SIREN, almost bringing that horse down, and lost a lot of momentum, he still finished strongly but the chance had gone. Definitely unlucky but I'm not certain she would have won. She certainly looks capable of winning a race off this mark (86).


Bye for now. 

Thursday 14 July 2011

Thursday July 11th.

It has been very quiet on here of late purely down to the fact I haven't seen anything that wasn't obvious to everyone.

However at Warwick last Thursday afternoon I saw an interesting 2-y-o debut by NICEOFYOUTOTELLME. By Hernando out of a Swain mare he is likely to be suited by further than this sharp seven furlongs and he didn't have the best of luck in running as the stalls opened the horse on his outside barged into him and he lost at least a length and a certain amount of momentum. This left him at the rear of the field and with the associated problems of getting through the scrum, he made smooth progress as they made the turn into the straight and ran on so well that he almost justified favouritism only going down half a length to yet another Hannon-trained 2-y-o winner. A maiden looks certain probably over more of a stamina test.


On to the evening meeting at Doncaster and the six-furlong 2-y-o maiden at 7.00. MAGIC BOUNTY, trained by Tim Easterby and ridden by Lance Betts was having his second run and surprisingly, he ran well enough on debut, was allowed to go off virtually unbacked at 25/1. The horse was hampered at the start and the rider didn't seem to bothered about making the ground up quickly and was still some way behind the leaders entering the final two furlongs. Magic Bounty then ran on nicely without undue effort from the saddle to finish a running-on sixth beaten six lengths. I fancy this one may well be nursery bound.



Sunday 3 July 2011

Saturday June 25th.

As I said in my introductory posts I will be concentrating on the races that the majority of punters are likely to have missed; so with Channel 4, Racing UK and At The Races in attendance for the most pop,ular punting day of the week, I'm giving most of the races a miss.


So on the basis that fatigue will have set in by now I'm starting off with the last at Newcastle, a Class 4 mile handicap for 3-y-os rated 0-85.


The race was won by Weapon of Choice, another winner for Silvestre  de Sousa (could he possibly be the champ at the end of the season), but the placed horses are the ones that interest me. MY FREEDOM, trained by Bin Suroor, was making his seasonal debut and he was a touch rusty and lost ground as the stalls opened, he then ran into trouble and didn't get a clear run just inside the final two, he was running on well at the death and went down by just 3/4 of a length.


Third place was filled by YOJIMBO, who has been busier than the second horse, he also ran into traffic problems two out and had to be switched wide to get his challenge in. He put in a very strong finishing effort but couldn't quite get there. He might well appreciate a furlong or two further.


I appreciate that the 1.45 at Newmarket was covered by Channel 4  and Racing UK but the horse that caught my eye finished far enough back that his run might have been missed by some. The race was a Class 5 seven furlong maiden for 2-y-os and the horse, ACER DIAMONDS. He is a nice big sort and looks to have plenty of scope, he was sluggish, here, when the stalls opened but raced with the body of the field, when he tried to make a move on the near-side of the field he was consistently baulked by a number of his opponents (not deliberately, of course) and when he eventually got the necessary space the race was practically over. This was his second run and after his next outing he will probably be qualified for nurseries and it would not be difficult to imagine him winning at least one of those over seven or eight furlongs.   


The next one of note also finished in the ruck. This time a Class 2 six-furlong handicap at Windsor. Norville won the race quite nicely but there was mayhem going on in behind, and in fact two horses fell when one of them clipped heels and brought the other one down, thankfully no great damage was done to horse or rider. FATHSTA, wasn't involved in that scrimmage on the rails but he ran into a different traffic jam when starting his run two out, he was hampered so badly that he almost came to a dead-stop and his rider didn't persevere after. The horse is fully exposed but he seems to be in fine form and could well land a nice race soon, possibly over a furlong further.


That's all for the horses in this post but I'd like to mention a couple of young claimers Lucy K. Barry and Charles Bishop. They both claim seven pounds at the moment but that won't last long, but even claiming just the five they will still be great value. Both show composure, confidence and are prepared to use their initiative. 


Colin

Friday 1 July 2011

Friday June 24th.

Lots of racing, far too much in my opinion, but not a lot caught my eye.

In the 2-y-o fillies race that opened the card at Doncaster, Colorful Notion won well enough but the one that it might be worth making a note of is, AL MAHMEYA, who was making her debut. Her SP of 3/1 suggested she had been showing something on the gallops but in the race she proved to be much too green. She missed the break and gave them all a start, she then made some headway but Dane O'Neill didn't persevere once it was obvious she wasn't going to trouble the leaders. She will be much better prepared next time.


The Friday evening of Newcastle's Northumberland Plate meeting always has the Gosforth Cup, a very competitive six-furlong handicap, as its highlight. Like many races these days the prize-money has at least stood still perhaps even fallen. Mick Easterby continued his excellent run of form in this type of race this season and took the race with Ancient Cross.
My only thought after watching the race several times is that Adrian Nicholls should have received a ban for his ride on Silaah, who incidentally finished last, the horse constantly wanted to hang left and 'Trotter' didn't seem to make that much effort to keep the horse straight. He interfered with both Jamesway and Racy and it could have resulted in a much worse fashion than it did.


The evening meeting on the July Course at Newmarket got under way with a Class 5 handicap which could possibly throw up a winner or two in the future. The winner, MASTER MYLO, hasn't got the greatest of strike-rates, just three wins from 24 runs but he won in nice style here. Racing with lots of enthusiasm early on and finding a nice finishing effort. Two that finished just out of the places could be interesting; RIO TINTO fourth at 66/1 missed the break and then raced too freely, he made late headway without being thrashed, MARVO ran much the same sort of race and finished fifth at 20/1.


On to the lucky last but not very lucky for RYAN STYLE. Missed the break and almost brought to his knees in a traffic jam approaching the final furlong, he ran on to take third at 20/1. Not a lot of use to anyone reading this now but RYAN STYLE  won at Haydock yesterday, SP 12/1.


Colin