Monday's Meetings Thirsk Flat 8 Races 1:00-4:50p.m. Worcester N/H 7 Races 1:15-4:35p.m. Brighton Flat 7 Races 2:10-5:30p.m. Kempton(E) A/W 8 Races 4:45-8:15p.m. Racecards At The Races Sporting Life Racing Post Good Luck
The 3.40 Thirsk sees William Haggas' Lady Rockstar a fairly warm favourite. The trouble for me is that I don't like maidens as favourite in Handicap races in general and especially when they are Evens in the betting. Runner up last time, the winner and third have been winners since but Lady Rockstar was a shade of odds-on that day and was thumped to a an extent that she wasn't raised for being 2nd. It is a pretty uninspiring field Lady Rockstar faces today though, with some on long losing runs. The one who appealed most to me as an alternative to the favourite is Harvest Days. The Easterby filly has won this race in the past and finished 3rd in last year's renewal. Probably too high in the ratings for a while now, she finds herself on a workable mark of 66 and she won the race off 71 in 2019 and was runner up off 69 last year. At 8/1, I felt Harvest Days has an each-way shout in a race she has performed well in previously. 3.40 Thirsk Harvest Days 8/1 EW
COZICAN 12/1 Kempton 5:45 Progressing with each run and this represents an ease in grade. The yard dont often travel this far South and were probably a little peeved when they saw the draw That is a negative but I reckon he can pop out and make all on his all weather debut. The sire has a very decent record on the surface and that may well eke out the required improvement albeit I dont think much more is needed.
Altior has been retired https://www.racingpost.com/news/lat...nderson-trained-legend-retired-aged-11/510683
Harvest Days looked like placing at one stage but weakened markedly in the final furlong. I did take on a bad favourite though, with Lady Rockstar beaten at 10/11. The Fav went off quite aggressively in front and was mowed down in the closing stages. I find these odds-on maidens as favourites in Handicap races an unappetising betting medium and would do the same in a similar scenario by opposing them.