I had a token bet on Tasman Bay as the rank outsider. Perhaps too much is made of Alenquer beating Adayar and the Haggas colt has been absent. Probably not a lot between these, so for potential value:- 3.05 Ascot Tasman Bay 11/1
Nice enough run from Tasman Bay, he saw the rest off but Alenquer was the one with a bit of class in the field and he picked up to come through and win as the betting suggested he should. I don't think this was a good renewal of the race though. Gear Up was top rated coming in but he's clearly regressive and his handicap mark will be lowered again after this. The Mediterranean is also disappointing and his 105 rating looks ropey after this effort. Today's 3rd came in rated 92 after winning a poor looking maiden last time and I was shaking my head at Title's odds of 5/1 today, that looked a joke price to my eyes. Personally speaking I couldn't see that as a boost to Adayar's form, as they looked a rag-tag bunch in behind Alenquer today.
Very poor effort from Suesa there. She had some early pace but was a bit keen and she emptied quickly. Looked like a horse who needs dropping back in trip but perhaps she has simply reached her level and not come forward. The first two were miles clear and had a real ding-dong battle. Dragon Symbol was well backed and he got the better of the battle with Campanelle but was wayward along the way. The Stewards will their say but nothing else really got into the race. Oh well, didn't lose much at 20/1, certainly less than those who were on at 5/2.
Almost everything French is stinking the place out for the last few years Ron and that includes the Cheese.
Hard to split the top 2 in the market but I like the look of Lullaby Moon at 22/1. Ridden by James Doyle she should go well on the soft ground and Is open to improvement on her first run of the season.
Hard luck for punters who backed Dragon Symbol. I hope they were on with bookies that pay first past the post. It will be a nightmare result for them as they have to pay out on Dettori as well. When they initially called the enquiry, I thought that they must have come together as Dragon Symbol was hanging right under a left-handed drive by Oisin and was carrying Campanelle with him. But when they showed the head on of the last fifty yards, Oisin changed his whip back to the right hand and there was space between them as his horse moved the other way. Then they showed quite a bit earlier when the two first came together and Dragon Symbol clearly bumped Campanelle twice; and in a race won by such a small margin, I could really only see the stewards deciding that they had to swap the result.
Oisin so eloquent, he’s a real asset to the industry. I remember seeing a piece on him when he was an apprentice and he talked about how much he loved studying pedigrees and learning about the quirks of particular families.