Monday's Meetings Windsor ......Flat..................8 Races...2:00-5:40p.m. Sedgefield ...National Hunt..7 Races...2:10-5:20p.m. Salisbury .... ABANDONED Racing Post Cards Sporting Life Cards Good Luck
I had Music and Dance in my tracker but he is now a NR in the Salisbury 14.50. However I see MS has another in the race with Moore on top. Hopefully it's because that one is considered to have a better chance in the conditions rather than there being anything amiss with M&D. The forecast going is soft, heavy in places, conditions none of these have met so completely unpredictable.
Trelawney Hill isn't the kind of woman to waste time and diesel. In fact the last six marathon trips from Aston Rowant to sunny Sedgefield have yielded no fewer than four winners. Tomorrow the rising young star that is Charlie Deutsch accompanies Mrs Hill on this journey to partner the aptly named SAFE INVESTMENT 5:20 Sedgefield who most definitely has claims on his best form. He certainly wouldn't want to encounter soft ground and it looks like it will be riding good tomorrow. At Windsor I am taking a real chance with KINGLAMI 14-1 4:10 despite running shockers on his last two outings. The Gubby yard have found a bit of form recently and hopefully this will manifest itself with an upturn in Kinglami's performance. He has steadily dropped down the weights having shot up following a handy Course and Distance win last season. Interesting stuff over at Salisbury with Hughes missing racing at one of his most profitable tracks to go head to head with Ryan Moore. Ryan looks to have the better book of rides but Hughes will be trying his upmost to overhaul him for the jockeys title. The John Gosden trained WILLOUGHBY looks very interesting on this card.
Windsor 4.10 Polski Max 4-1 This again is a soft ground lover and will love even heavy going. Essentially this horse is too good to not win with in a season and I feel Richard Fahey would be answering some questions were this to go without a win, I feel today he puts that right. This horse is in a grade that's plenty low enough for him, will relish conditions rather than just cope with them and I feel will win well. As an aside I do feel Rocksilla is a cracking EW bet in the same race at 20-1 Salisbury 5.00 Rockafella 9-2 On a day when punting should really be avoided I am actually having a decent bet on Rockafella. The reason being is that whilst no doubt some will not relish conditions this lad will love it. The reasons he stands out are that he has won at Salisbury from 78 in a soft conditions and races from 76 tomorrow in exactly the same conditions at the same distance. There is no getting away from the fact that Hidden Gold will be a tough nut to crack but my thoughts are that he is being asked to race further than he has ever done, on ground worse than he has ever seen, and from a now 6lb higher mark than his last win. Hidden Gold could still be ahead of the handicapper but I am not sure, and although he won his maiden on gd/sft since then it's all been gd/fm. I am quite prepared for Hidden Gold to prove me wrong but I am going for Rockafella tomorrow.
Great chance for Moonlight Sonata in the fillies maiden at Salisbury, she is a half sister to Western Hymn so you would be hoping she would handle the ground well enough. Willoughby is a half sister to Nathaniel and Great Heavens so she is bred to be good and to handle the ground as well. Race well worth watching for these two, shame about the ground. Raven Ridge 9/2 really should be getting the job done this time at Windsor.
Salisbury off, people. My gosh the rain in the county, right now, is of biblical proportions. Salisbury must have been hit very hard by the old wet stuff as we are hardy folk in Wiltshire and don’t abandon for nothing.
Sir Barney - what did the old Chuckle eye make of Karezak's debut at Chepstow on Saturday? Potentially another good 'un purchased by the McNeill family? He's certainly gone in my notebook .....
Oddy, after his 2 runs on the level for Alan King I had Karezak down as something of a dog as he was easily brushed aside at 11/10 and then 4/9 and didn’t appear to have much resolution at the business end. I did wonder if he did put everything in actually as he had never won on the Flat but had been runner-up on 5 occasions. Such a belief though made me look silly on Saturday as he battled really well at Chepstow and the front pair were 22 lengths clear of the old boy 3rd. Karezak is due to run next at the Hennessy meet and I guess then we will get a really good idea as to his true potential. 33’s available re him and the Triumph. Although yet to make his debut Mr Henderson’s exciting import, Hargam, is the one that I’m most looking forward to in this division at the moment.
Didn't look very straightforward to me Oddy, won despite not really wanting to. Clearly has an engine. Today is exciting, entries come out for Saturdays visit to Cheltenham. Much better place to be on Saturday than that turgid flat stuff in toff country.
Strange that CH4 have opted to show no action from Cheltenham on either Friday or Saturday. Especially the latter day as some of the 'back up' racing they show on a Saturday is dire at times. True the NH game is really picking up a gear now. And I can even say on Friday my favourite 'more plots than an Agatha Christie novel' line. Oh happy days...
Ascot’s been deluged like Salisbury then. Going at the Royal Berkshire track now ‘heavy, soft in places’. And with further rain or showers forecast for the rest of the week don’t expect much change in that going description.
This was always the big worry with Champions Day wasn't it? After a glittering start with Frankel is it now in danger of heading towards what many people thought it would be when launched - namely an end of season mud-bath that is too late on the year (or too close to the Arc and Breeders Cup meetings) to attract the top horses?
Sir Barney, Nass: Agreed Karezak didn't look the most straightforward conveyance (nice to see Wayne Hutchinson doing the steering BTW - a jockey I really rate) - we shall have to hope Mr King's magic hands can get rid of that trait. Fine debut from Golden Doyen in 2nd too - another nicely bred gelding who could be seen to better light with more give, having won on heavy in the provinces. All in all a very interesting race, particularly when you think that Alan King started both Katchit and Franchoek in previous renewals ..................
310 Sedgefield Miss L Harrison brings one runner here where she has had good returns , intrestingly its her best returner SOLWAY DORNAL thats running ! Ryan Day takes solway out who Miss H has a good record with . Ryan has fastly become a very handy claimer taking off 10lbs so solway is nicely weighted today . Solway has beat the fav a couple of times but today sees him on worse terms but in my eyes on level terms they are very evenly mached but solway should have one big advantage today the mud 5s is way to big win only
