Sunday's Meetings Sandown Flat 8 Races 12:00-3:55p.m. Newcastle A/W 8 Races 12:15-4:00p.m. Leicester Flat 8 Races 1:35-5:10p.m. Cork N/H 7 Races 2:00-5:05p.m. Galway Festival Flat 7 Races 2:45-5:50p.m. Racecards At The Races Racing Post Sporting Life Good Luck
Thought I had too much to drink when I looked at today's card and saw what I thought looked like half of team Crisfords barn running, but no, they have 6 runners going. Where do I start. I think I will do trebles and upwards with JASH and ANJAH being my bankers. JASH has a long absence to overcome but that doesn't worry me too much as he has won fto the last 2 years.
Galway 17.50 Rachael Blackmore has one ride, seems a long day to me for a single ride so it must warrant a second look even now the price has collapsed from 10s to 4s, Eight and Bob
Lucky 63/Acca: 12:00 Sandown - King Robert 3/1 1:25 Newcastle - Mews House 7/2 2:10 Leicester - Great Colaci 3/1 2:50 Sandown - No Nay Bella 5/1 3:25 Newcastle - Dark Jedi 11/2 5:10 Leicester - Alba Del Sole 4/1 Buick has two runners at Deauville so i've done his two and Mighty Gurkha also at Deauville in a treble. Dettori goes to Dusseldorf to ride Miss Yoda in the German Oaks, i'm on that one at 12/1 . Win only.
I also have a bet on Miss Yoda but only 11/2. Soft ground in Galway and plenty nonrunners. Bad for Romantically.
12:35 Sandown - Top Brass e/w (This Maiden Stakes race is a trappy affair but cannot resist a small e/w on John Gosden's entry in this. 12/1 - 11/1 on offer at present just seems too much!)
At Deauville there is UK interest in the 1.35 Mighty Gurkha and Cairn Gorm go for Archie Watson and Mick Channon. I was surprised the betting was so close between the two, because the first named has almost a stone in hand on form so far. The French trained Axdavali actually has a much better rating than the Channon horse but stank the place out last time. Mighty Gurkha was 5th in the Coventry and then second to the very smart looking Method next time and he had bolted up on his debut. I thought the Watson horse was the bet here at 6/4 and picked Axdavali for the forecast. 1.35 Deauville Mighty Gurkha 6/4 win Mighty Gurkha/ Axdavali SF
Very poor group 1 over in deauville today with only the favourite Watch Me a proper group 1 horse IMO. Should win easily and even though odds on, could be buying money. So for a wheelbarrow job Watch Me at 8/11 is my only bet today. GL if you play
You couldn't make it up. Mighty Gurkha came out of the stalls with the hood still on and lost a million lengths. The commentator said he was "Slightly slowly away" FFS what an understatement the was. Whoever that prick was standing in the stalls waiting to pull the hood off has just cost people any chance of collecting. Couldn't Hollie Doyle have pulled the hood off? What a farce. The horse's energy had to be burned to make up the lost ground and he did get on terms but it was inevitable that the toll would be paid later in the race and Mighty Gurkha faded badly at the business end. That arsehole in the stalls should be fired for incompetence. Cairn Gorm did it nicely enough and yet again the UK raiders are showing up the French horses on their home soil. The last few years have been poor for French Racing and I can't quite understand why that would be. Looking at this year's Arc de Triomphe the chance of a home win boils down to two chances, slim and none, with poor old slim being in self isolation.
Deauville 2.50 - Summer Romance 11/2 The fav looks worth taking on at odds on, Summer Romance got back on track last time and the form looks decent with Rose of Kildare winning the Musidora and Ornassis winning a listed race, Cloak of Spirits had previously ran 2nd in the Guineas as well so decent level of form in context of this race. She showed a ton of potential early in her 2yo career and her pedigree is top class, Kingman half sister to Rizeena, and she was well suited to a soft lead last time which she might get again here as there doesnt look to be much pace in the race. I like Know It All but her form doesnt look good enough on paper.
Watch Me should take the beating here. Her 116 Official Rating is the best in the field. Summer Romance is rated 107 and if you take into account that she gets 8 lbs from Watch Me, you might give the Appleby horse a squeak but I am not sure how that Epsom win from Cloak Of Spirits will pan out. All the same, I thought Summer Romance would try to make all and at 5/1 I took a chance she might nick it. 2.50 Deauville Summer Romance 5/1
Watch Me don't it well really, she got through on the rail, which I think was slowest part of the course and she was more workmanlike than I would have liked but a win is a win Bit cheeky with the little cracker as she was odds on but lovely looking filly
Class prevailed. What a waste of two bob eh? Probably harder work for Watch Me than you might have expected but she got there. Summer Romance never looked comfortable in front and you could only conclude that her OR of 109 for winning a Group 3 was cobblers, ran nothing like that today and you have to say she looks utterly inconsistent. Some really poor 3YO's this year,
Why would you conclude 109 was wrong for her last run when you admit shes inconsistent? Hard to argue with 109 for her last run, 5L in front of 3 100 horses. Ran no race today or in the Guineas but it doesnt change the facts of her last race. Know it All ran well, career best for her but she wont get a better chance than that to win a G1. Try not to put up prices that no longer exist, you do it all the time, Summer Romance was into 3/1 when you posted 5/1.
I thought King Vega ran a very promising race too. He seemed a bit trapped on the rails but worked his way into a decent position to strike. However, he seemed to falter a bit when asked to pick up and the winner pulled a few lengths clear. Maybe it was greenness but King Vega started to get the hang of it and stayed on well to go down 3/4 of a length without looking like catching the winner. King Vega had been a bit restless in the stalls and given that he was 5 lengths clear of the third home, this was surely one for the notebook. Probably won't be any sort of price next time but given that he is a 350,000 Guineas son of Lope De Vega and that the OR 83 winner was far more experienced, this was the promise of plenty more to come from Andrew Balding's King Vega. If only I had a few quid for every horse with Vega in the name.
