Saturday's Meetings Royal Ascot Flat 7 Races 2:30-6:10p.m. Ayr Flat 7 Races 1:14-4:54p.m. Newmarket Flat 8 Races 1:32-5:09p.m. Redcar Flat 7 Races 1:37-5:13p.m. Perth N/H 7 Races 1:42-5:23p.m. Down Royal Flat 7 Races 2:00-5:40p.m. Lingfield(E) A/W 7 Races 5:18-8:30p.m. Haydock(E) Flat 6 Races 6:00-8:45p.m. Racecards At The Races Sporting Life Racing Post Good Luck
Andre Fabre sends Timour over for the lucky last at Royal Ascot. Faces well over mile further than he’s ever run before. Would appear to be madness on the trainers part. But this chap knows the time of day. From what I can see his only runner of the meeting too. A few quid ew @ 22/1 just in case the Frenchman is a genius.
The last day of the Royal meeting and the bookies have not had it away with all my not-so-hard-earned. I looked at the Platinum Jubilee for all of thirty seconds. It is 10/1 or better the Northern Hemisphere horses with the favourite and second favourite 2/1 and 8/1. The top rated amongst the home team is last year’s Champion Sprint winner Creative Force and the Japanese son of Frankel Grenadier Guards is a fair performer over seven furlongs and a mile at home but was well beaten on his first attempt at six in March. The way that the Aussie raider won the King’s Stand the other day leaves no case to be made for the trainer’s other raider here. If the ex-convicts pick up the loot, I hope they decide to stick around on these shores so we could see Home Affairs vs Perfect Power in the July Cup. He may not have been seen yet this term but Hurricane Lane does not face any rival that on known form can better him in the Hardwicke Stakes, so I would like to see him win handsomely to set up the prospect of some interesting middle distance clashes between the generations this year. The Jersey Stakes looks more open than the betting might suggest. Of the Shadwell runners, Jim Crowley has opted for Monaadeh, who made all to win at Kempton on the kitty litter last time beating Audience (now ridden by Ryan Moore) quite comfortably, so I expect he will try to dominate from his low draw again. The top rated horse in the race is Dubawi Legend but that was achieved when second in the Dewhurst, form that he has failed to reproduce in two starts since in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf (tenth when favourite) and the 2000 Guineas (last). Noble Truth easily won a Listed race last time and may try to lead from his high draw but his best effort to date was chasing home Angel Bleu in the Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere on soft ground, where Germany’s Rocchigiani was behind. Peter Schiergen’s colt won two races over seven in Germany as a juvenile and was second in the German Guineas to Maljoom last time out, form that was done no harm by the winner on Tuesday in the St James’s Palace, so he looks overpriced. Henry de Bromhead’s filly Star Girls Aalmal won a couple of egg and spoon races easily over seven furlongs but her best form effort was clearly her fourth in the Irish 1000 Guineas, just pipped on the line for third; however, she has not run on fast ground and her high draw also puts me off. Samburu comes here unbeaten in three starts, the latest of which was a York handicap where he beat Snooze N You Lose, who won a Listed race next time out. Clearly the Gosden colt needs to step up on that and presumably the cheekpieces have been applied to get him to concentrate plus he is drawn high. ALFLAILA won a course and distance handicap off topweight on seasonal reappearance and has a low draw. Last year he was only a modest sixth in the Autumn Stakes behind Coroebus over a mile but on the ratings he only has a few pounds to find to be competitive here for Dane O’Neill and the yard has had 7 winners from just 21 runners this term with depleted resources. Good luck those playing the cavalry charge at five o’clock – get as many places as possible, something with a low draw.
In the finale at 18:10, Calling The Wind has a very good chance in this marathon event of at least a podium finish. The gelding should be well-suited by prevailing conditions. A thorough stayer, well-bred for the job. David Egan rides for the Richard Hughes stable. Have an enjoyable and successful day, folks!
I was hesitating between him and Stratum and in the end I went for the latter 14/1 e/w. I'm sure I'm wrong.
Is still in next weekend's Northumberland Plate. Will he run again with a welter burden??? 10 stone 8lbs (120).
