Saturday's Meetings Newmarket Flat 7 Races 1:00-4:25p.m. Newcastle A/W 8 Races 1:15-5:10p.m. Windsor Flat 7 Races 1:55-5:20p.m. Curragh Flat 8 Races 2:00-5:55p.m. Chester Flat 7 Races 2:10-5:40p.m. Doncaster(E) Flat 7 Races 5:15-8:15p.m. Racecards At The Races Sporting Life Racing Post Place a bet in the Virtual Betting shop here Good Luck
Good morning all. A little ew Lucky 15 at Newcastle for me today. 1.45 Danzan 2.20 Good Effort 2.55 Margaret Dumont 3.30 Hochfeld Wales/ Italy double in the football later 6/1. Have a good weekend, all the best with yours
Newcastle 14,20 Khuzaam 11/4 14,55 Raymond 14/1 e/w six places with Sky, others five 15,30 Galata Bridge 14/1 e/w six places with WH, others five Curragh 15,45 Hurricane Lane 11/2 Newmarket 14,05 Desert Dreamer 7/1 Good luck all.
No real surprise that the field for the Irish Derby is dominated by runners from Ballydoyle. It is hard to make a case for Matchless, well beaten at Ascot nine days ago; and Arturo Toscanini was well beaten in the Queen’s Vase, where stablemate Wordsworth was second, and finished behind Earlswood in the Gallinule. Van Gogh finished behind Mac Swiney in the Irish 2000 Guineas and was an also-ran in the Prix Du Jockey Club and the 2000 Guineas. The biggest concern for Johnny Murtagh’s Earlswood other than the step up in class would be the ground as he has never encountered anything good or better; and also this looks like a big step up for Donnacha O’Brien’s listed race winner Fernando Vichi. With the season that Jim Bolger is having, it is probably dangerous to rule out Mac Swiney but he has failed to make the frame on any of the three occasions he has run on good ground and he was only fourth in the Derby. Ahead of him in second was maiden Mojo Star, who has never encountered better than good to soft going. Lone Eagle swerved the Derby after finishing fourth to the subsequent Derby winner at Sandown and won the Cocked Hat at Goodwood en route to this race, where Frankie Dettori has been booked. The favourite High Definition has had his problems this season, missing the Guineas and missing the Derby after finishing third in the Dante at York. The Dante was run on good ground, the quickest he has encountered in three starts, and ahead of him that day was winner HURRICANE LANE, who subsequently ran third in the Derby. This galloping track and the better ground should suit the Godolphin colt and he can add an Irish Derby to Frankel’s stallion CV alongside the Epsom one that Adayar gave him.
As one of Sir Barney's regular readers, I am hiding my disappointment (with stoicism) at the absence of his annual quip about "Richard Pitman's Derby" being run "ooooooooooooooooop North". Be that as it may, Jim Goldie has his yard in good nick under both codes and his Nicholas T get's my tentative e/w nod in today's feature on the tapeta. Interestingly, the German word for wallpaper is Tapete. Hence Gosforth Park and wallpaper will forever be linked in my weird and wonderful world.
Morning, team. Hope everyone well. My regular readers may recall how sweet I was on the chances of BEHELD at Royal Ascot. However, Mother Nature then intervened and unfortunately the old girl became a non-runner. The 3YO daughter of Frankel is though set to run at Newmarket (1.35) this afternoon and remains, in my view, one to very much look out for. Beheld was a nice winner of her only race, at Newbury, as a 2YO and so far this term has finished a highly creditable runner-up (carried a penalty for that Royal Berkshire success on both occasions) on each of her 2 starts. On this her handicap bow Beheld will run off just 84 which I think is a generous assessment by the handicapper and would fully expect the old girl to secure the 2nd win of her career later on today. Beheld is also wonderfully bred and hails from one of the oldest Juddmonte families. Meanwhile, Mr Charlton’s yard is starting to come into some decent form with, at the time of writing, 3 winners since Monday. Think in time Beheld will make it into a black type performer and on her way to that grade she can pick up this Newmarket prize. Good luck all.
My next quip, re race titles, will probably be my other annual one about the ‘oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooh, Matron Stakes’ being run in honour of the ‘Carry On…’ films.
In other tv themed race titles we could have The Betty's Hot Pot Handicap @ Haydock, The Bubbly Babs Champagne Stakes @ Windsor and not forgetting The Lovely Jubbly Trotter Juvenile Hurdles @ Kempton... Whats not to like in attracting the tv audience to the race track...
The biggest stand out for me in the Irish Derby is the weakness in Mojo Star. He was as low as 7/2 at one stage in the ante-post betting but is way out to 8/1 and pretty much friendless today. Mojo Star was a rank outsider in the Derby and he is still a maiden. You could argue that he is bound to have more to offer and on official ratings he is only 4 lbs behind the top rated Mac Swiney. On the other hand his Derby run was in another league to his previous form and the unique nature of Epsom often doesn;t translate to other courses. I expect Hurricane Lane to gain revenge with Mojo Star today. He lost two shoes in the Derby and, at the Curragh, I feel he will be more at home. He has looked a real stayer and needed every inch of the Dante trip to come through and claim Megallan. I felt he was a bet to nothing at 5/1 each-way here but I have always felt High Definition would get revenge from the Dante, where he only ran at short notice after missing his intended race in the Lingfield Derby Trial. He had missed that due a bad blood count and he was entitled to need the race anyway, given how many of Aidan's have needed their first run of the season. High Definition has been a slow starter/strong finisher since he ever set foot on a racecourse and that will be the question again today. Now that he has hit 11/4 though, I feel the risk/reward ratio has been met, as he remains unexposed to a large extent. Van Gogh has been backed but I feel he comes here because they need to try something different with him, rather than as a natural target. Wprdworth looks more of a Cup horse to me and I see no value at his odds. Lone Eagle was written off after his first run this season but that race has turned out to be strong form. He got back on track last time but that was on soft ground and he didn't beat much to my mind that day. Mac Swiney loves soft ground and I am not convinced this is his trip. He was out of petrol when holding Poetic Flare in the Irish Guineas and has had a busy season already. I feel the colt is due a holiday but Jim likes to keep them busy. I am going with High Definition and if he can't get going quick emough at this trip the Leger surely awaits. The other horse today is Castle Star, He was originally due to go for the Coventry but it was decided to keep him in Ireland for the Railway Stakes and possibly one other before aiming towards the Middle Park at Newmarket. The form line through Massetto suggests Castle Star would have gone very close in the Coventry and I was struck by how well he travelled into the closing stages in his last race, The Stack stable could be in better form but at 3/1 I though Castke Star was more battle hardened than Dr Zempf. Dukebox has an each-way shout for Hannon but Castle Star looks the one to me for today. 3.05 Curragh Castle Star 3/1 3.45 Curragh High Definition 11/4 Two singles and a double,
Bollocks, Castle Star fell out of the stalls and was stone last. He had a hopeless position really but started to finish well but the under pressure Go Bears Go had started to get better of it in front and had first run by miles. Castle Star rattled home but only for second place. A terrific run in the circumstances but yet again no cigar. Dr Zempf was a silly price for a horse stepping up markedly in grade. Second in the Norfolk Stakes, Go Bears Go seemed suited by the extra furlong today but I feel Castle Star might well have won this with a better start. His old foe Massetto was third today after being 4th in the Coventry last time, so the form looks pretty solid.
The Criterion was like a step back in time with the old Sheikh Mohammed colours edging out Sheikh Hamdan's wit Fitri Hay's in third.
I'll also side with Hurricane Lane 11/2 in the Derby today, not overly convinced by any of the Ballydoyle team, for all that, any one of them could win on a given day. I think Hurricane Lane looks to have to most did form coming into this race In the closing stayers handicap at 5.55 I think the recently purchased Shoshone Warrior 7/1 will run a big race for Joseph O'Brien. He has to give weight away all around but this looks good opportunity to get a W for his new barn.
Always nice to back the Derby winner Hurricane Lane was roused along early before being shuffled back, and showing great staying power to collar a good ride on Lone Eagle. High Definition will make a nice one when Willie has him in the world hurdle in 3 years.
High Definition is simply a ham shanker on today's evidence. That was an appalling effort and Aidan will have to delve deep into the excuse book after that run. Hurricane Lane does nothing quickly but he certainly stays. I backed him in the Epsom Derby and though he was a solid each-way shout today but was deguiled by the idea that High Definition could build on his Dante effort. I see nowhere to go with High Definition now, he looks a bust. Hurricane Lane should be hot favourite for the St Leger now but will they chance their arm again that he can catch others with more pace than him? I felt Mojo Star would be found out today and he was. I suspect Epsom and two missing shoes were the reason he beat Hurricane Lane last time. Mac Swiney was sent on a fools errand today an surely soft ground mile races await for him in the autumn. Van Gogh looks a horse with no trip. Wordsworth looked a Leger type coming in and he was miles back in third, while Lone Eagle just got outstayed today. A mixed bag for the Epsom Derby but Hurricane Lane has done his bit to hold it up. High Definition was shocking today and I don't know which lady commentator had said that he would be held up to come with an explosive turn of foot. Whoever she was, she should be running, rather than walking to the nearest Specsavers branch. Well done to all who stayed with Hurricane Lane, or found winners elsewhere today.
