3.15 Newbury
Sporting Boy 7/1
I have been oh so impressed by Michael Blake's upwardly mobile 5 year old on his last two starts and despite having to shoulder a stone more than his latest victory I still think he's well capable of winning off a mark of 129. Moreover, he'll probably need a penalty to get into the County Hurdle at Cheltenham and I've backed him at 33/1 in that event as he'll surely be heading there if successful tomorrow. A winner of 4 of his last 5 handicaps (the one he didn't win he was out for a spin), the actual form of his victories is nothing out of the ordinary but the visual nature of his success has been very captivating and I think he's a horse of huge, huge potential. After the aforementioned spin, he came out 7 days later in October last year when he won in facile fashion off a mark 110 at Ludlow under tomorrow's pilot Tom Scudamore and followed that victory up in even more impressive fashion 8 days later at Wetherby when beating the re-opposing Meetings Man by a comfortable 8 lengths. The 3rd Lightning Rod was beaten 1L off a 1lb higher mark on his only subsequent start whilst the 4th Laterly was a wide margin winner off 3lb lower mark at Leicester a month later and given that Sporting Boy disposed of those rivals with such ease emphasises how well handicapped a horse he is. He's been off the track for 120 days which is by far my biggest concern to his chances tomorrow as connections felt he needed a run to get him right after a 5 month break earlier in the season but I don't think they'd run him in a race as hot as this if he wasn't fit. Tom Scudamore, who is 2-2 on board, takes the ride once again and I'm confident that Sporting Boy will continue his progression and complete his hat trick before, hopefully, running a big race at the Cheltenham Festival.
Sporting Boy 7/1
I have been oh so impressed by Michael Blake's upwardly mobile 5 year old on his last two starts and despite having to shoulder a stone more than his latest victory I still think he's well capable of winning off a mark of 129. Moreover, he'll probably need a penalty to get into the County Hurdle at Cheltenham and I've backed him at 33/1 in that event as he'll surely be heading there if successful tomorrow. A winner of 4 of his last 5 handicaps (the one he didn't win he was out for a spin), the actual form of his victories is nothing out of the ordinary but the visual nature of his success has been very captivating and I think he's a horse of huge, huge potential. After the aforementioned spin, he came out 7 days later in October last year when he won in facile fashion off a mark 110 at Ludlow under tomorrow's pilot Tom Scudamore and followed that victory up in even more impressive fashion 8 days later at Wetherby when beating the re-opposing Meetings Man by a comfortable 8 lengths. The 3rd Lightning Rod was beaten 1L off a 1lb higher mark on his only subsequent start whilst the 4th Laterly was a wide margin winner off 3lb lower mark at Leicester a month later and given that Sporting Boy disposed of those rivals with such ease emphasises how well handicapped a horse he is. He's been off the track for 120 days which is by far my biggest concern to his chances tomorrow as connections felt he needed a run to get him right after a 5 month break earlier in the season but I don't think they'd run him in a race as hot as this if he wasn't fit. Tom Scudamore, who is 2-2 on board, takes the ride once again and I'm confident that Sporting Boy will continue his progression and complete his hat trick before, hopefully, running a big race at the Cheltenham Festival.
