Monday's Meetings Dundalk A/W 8 Races 1:00-5:05p.m. Newton Abbot N/H 7 Races 1:15-4:38p.m. Ayr Flat 6 Races 2:30-5:25p.m. Killarney(E) Flat 7 Races 4:45-7:45p.m. Lingfield(E) A/W 6 Races 6:05-8:35p.m. Wolverhampton(E) A/W 6 Races 6:25-8:55p.m. Windsor(E) Abandoned Racecards At The Races Sporting Life Racing Post Place a bet in the Virtual Betting shop here Good Luck
At Lingfield Golden Rainbow is favourite for the 6.35 Race. He's had three starts now and has an official mark of 80. I am not sure that may be enough to win this and sided with one at double the odds. Neptune Legend is far from an obvious pick after trailing in 8th at Leicester last time. Beaten more than 9 lengths that day it was a backward step from a promising second place on debut. It had turned out that he bumped into one that day, in the form of Dhabab, who went to the Coventry as favourite afterwards and then lined up favourite again for the Superlative Stakes, where he was third. Neptune Legend had run to a very similar level to today's favourite on his first start and winners have emerged from that race. Connections were clearly disappointed, because it was a case of "Balls off, tongue tie on" in the aftermath. If he can get back on track after his "Two stones" penalty I feel he can go close here in what is not a demanding level at Class 5. 6.35 Lingfield Neptune Legend 4/1
Newton Abbot 4.05 Game in the Park Has earned some minor money for new yard this spring and is on a career-low mark now. Neil King has a good each way record in handicap chases at Newton Abbot over the last 5 seasons R 3 W 1 Pl 1 PL 4.50 Worth a small each way bet in my opinion.
Could be another good day for Paul Mulrennan at Ayr with Oriental Lilly (4.15) and Coviglia (5.25) look to have solid chances and Gulf Of Poets (4.50) not to be written off at 14/1 after a beaten fav last time out but has won 2 runs ago.
Morning Sea Dreamin looks an interesting newcomer by Sea The Stars at Clairefontaine today [2.52] Each Way @ 7-1 [Betway]
The 4.45 Killarney is a mile maiden for 2YO. These mile races will let us see the staying types come forward and I thought Aidan's Pimlico was worth taking on. Pimlico was 6th on debut and then ran third next time but based on the Racing Post ratings he didn't progress despite the numerical improvement in finishing position. The best of those two runs was rated 80 and that is a reasonable, rather than daunting, standard for newcomers to face. Piz Badile has been backed and he holds an entry in the National Stakes. That would suggest he is held in some regard by Donnacha O'Brien but that would mean running at a mile and then dropping back to 7F, which would be an unusual progression. His sire Ulysses is 0/10 with his progeny so far, no doubt he will get off the mark now that I have opposed him. I thought Joseph O'Brien's Fastnet Rock colt Buckaroo was worth a poke at 5/1. The stable are in pretty good form and this mile trip should suit. At 5/1 a chance was taken in the circumstances of those ahead of him in the betting. 4.45 Killarney Buckaroo 5/1 Hopefully the jockey doesn't get bucked off.
Buckaroo completely fluffed the start and had to be rousted up vigorously to get moving. He was last for most of the race and was never travelling kindly. The favourite Pimlico tried to make the running but came under pressure and dropped back. I thought he was poor value at 6/4. In the end it was newcomer Piz Badile who narrowly prevailed from Karakoul, who was stepping up two furlongs after an uninspiring debut in 7th over 6F. Piz Badile looked the more promising type of the two who fought it out but he didn't exactly rubber-stamp a trip to the National Stakes. Buckaroo seemed to be in a hopeless position at the back but started to stay on strongly in the closing stages. He's a big stuffy looking sort who looks sure to progress from this and benefit from a greater stamina test. He managed to pass everything bar the pair who had flown at the front and he was more than three lengths clear of the 4th. Although he went down by a shade over 4 lengths, it wasn't a bad debut in the circumstances. At the half-way stage I thought the son of Camelot might be Triumph Hurdle material for the future but it ended up better than that scenario, for now at least. Pimlico was beaten 13 lengths into 7th place and has gone backwards a chunk here. I thought the warning signs were there with his second rating being a shade lower than his first. As ever though, you select a bad looking favourite, you get him thumped, your horse finishes well ahead of him but you don't even get close to winning a cigar. Ah well, I don't smoke anyway.
Neptune Legend was rousted up to try to get to the inside but he didn't have the pace and the door was shut in his face. He had problems getting involved thereafter but turning in he started to close and was nearest at the finish in a close up 4th. I think he would have been second in another 100 yards, as he closed to within a neck and half a length of the odds-on favourite. I was shaking my head seeing Golden Rainbow odds-on today but he made a promising start and held a great position at the head of affairs. He had no answer to El Hadeeyah, who kicked away to score by a shade over 3 lengths. The filly was getting 9 lbs from the favourite and was ranked only 4 lbs lower on official figures, so the difference in the odds was hard to fathom. I could not escape the fact than she had run more than 20 lbs below her best last time out though. Oh well, two poor value favourites opposed successfully but no joy. Hope some of you had more success.
