Saturday's Meetings Haydock Flat 7 Races 1:15-4:45p.m. Curragh Flat 8 Races 1:20-5:25p.m. Goodwood Flat 7 Races 1:30-4:55p.m. York Flat 7 Races 1:35-5:00p.m. Cartmel N/H 7 Races 1:40-5:00p.m. Chester Flat 7 Races 2:20-5:45p.m. Salisbury(E) Flat 7 Races 5:35-8:40p.m. Ffos Las(E) N/H 7 Races 5:55-8:55p.m. Racecards At The Races Sporting Life Racing Post Good Luck
Think as at Newmarket Galeron will run well in the Irish version of the 2000 Guineas [3.40] Currently 12-1 with four places
It may be a good day for Rab Havlin at Goodwood with a couple of short-priced favourites for the Gosdens plus an unraced three year old. The bookmaker sponsored card at York looks like a good one – if you are a bookmaker. I think Mimikyu should win the Bronte Cup (3:15), she makes no appeal at the price; and that is the only race on the yard over more than a mile. At the time of writing, the going report at Haydock does not include the word soft, which is a rare event in itself. Unfortunately most of the card makes no appeal as a betting medium because of short-priced favourites. Covey may or may not be a handicap good thing in the Silver Bowl (2:25) but half the field are first time in a handicap (including the Gosden colt) and I never back such horses. In the preceding handicap, is Chester Cup fourth Law Of The Sea a good thing as the Timeform write up suggests? Or is rapidly improving four year old Carzola going to defy a 10lb hike in the weights to complete a four timer? While Little Big Bear is the clear top rated in the Sandy Lane (3:00) thanks to his Phoenix Stakes demolition (a five runner race) and lameness excuses have been offered for his no show in the Guineas, he now meets Bradsell (beaten favourite at The Curragh) again and there was clearly something amiss that day as he was not seen again. I have Mill Stream in my ATR Tracker and he won on debut as a juvenile but he will need to have improved significantly to win this, so he might be running to assess where he goes. The Temple Stakes (3:30) looks one of the most open renewals in ages as three year old The Platinum Queen is drifting badly with the bookies ahead of her debut for new connections. Clearly the Abbaye winner is the best horse in the field but she will need to be given WFA does her no favours at this time of the year. The same applies for other three year old, Dramatised, a runner up at the Breeders’ Cup when last seen and representing a Karl Burke yard that is turning out quite a few winners. It is hard to make a case for either Charlie Hills runner, Equilateral likely to start the shorter price because of Frankie being in the saddle. Mitbaahy had a good summer just below this level in 2022 but was only eighth behind his now stablemate in Paris alongside Raasel. Raasel had a really good spell last summer but has not troubled the judge in his last seven starts and was fourth in the Palace House where Live In The Dream came home second. Also in that race were Existent, Sandbeck, Equality and Twilight Calls, the latter of whom was well beaten favourite; however, the going was soft at HQ so things could be very different today. On only her fourth start last term, ROYAL ACLAIM was sent off favourite for the Nunthorpe, where she was sixth behind Highfield Princess and The Platinum Queen, so clearly she was well thought of even then. She has not been seen since finishing third in the principal French Abbaye trial, where Abbaye runner-up White Lavender was behind her. I am thinking that they may have realised that day that she did not like the soft ground (hence she missed the Abbaye) and it would not require a huge improvement to win here given she is much better off with the now three year old favourite. Over at The Curragh, the feature is the Irish 2000 Guineas and it is very hard to get away from the supplemented favourite Royal Scotsman. Whilst I think he is the most likely winner, he is simply not a betting proposition as the ground at HQ was totally different and his tendency to pull is a negative that is not really cancelled out by the fact that this track may suit him more than the Rowley Mile. Hi Royal finished ahead of him in second having tried to make all as a 125/1 outsider. Was that a fluke and does he need soft ground? It is difficult to make a case for either Galeron (fourth at 150/1) or Charyn (eighth at 66/1) reversing Newmarket form. Aidan O’Brien has pretty much farmed this race and his main contender here, Paddington, could find the necessary improvement after winning a course and distance Listed race last time. His son Donnacha’s Proud And Regal drops back in trip after finishing behind Sprewell in the Leopardstown Derby Trial when favourite but his form suggests he wants easier ground that he will encounter here.
Just discovered why Frankie isn't on Francesco Clemente today. He's on Covey at Haydock Not sure what to make of that. Either Covey is more likely to win or Francesco Clemente goes just as well for Rob Havlin (rode him last time)
I think you’ve picked a very nice horse to follow, today was unlucky but he looks a lovely horse and clearly has shedloads of ability. Now if they can keep him sound, he has to be one to follow.
I cannot say that I was impressed by Little Big Bear’s win at Haydock. When the horse went to the front he carried his tail in a noticably awkward position; and although he won cosily, the runner up Shouldvebeenaring does not strike me as Group 1 calibre material. As he benefited from the stands side rail, so I certainly would not be rushing for the 6/4 about the O’Brien colt at Royal Ascot. Mimikyu did not make easy work of the Bronte Cup at York as I expected, possibly feeling the ground; and was mowed down by River Of Stars. There was no early pace and a sprint in the straight was never going to be in the favour of the Gosden filly. Surely the York card should have been saved for Bank Holiday Monday as punters were getting their pockets emptied by most of those sprint handicaps. Mixed fortunes for the three year old fillies in the Temple as Dramatised stormed home late down the rail to collect the prize while there have to be questions about The Platinum Queen, out with the washing having made no challenge at all. Has she trained on? Does she need soft ground? She could be a hugely expensive dud purchase for her new owners and a shrewd piece of business by her former owners. Having beaten her elders at Haydock, why should Dramatised not race them in the King’s Stand? Taking on the other three year olds in the Coronation would mean stepping up a furlong and it is clear that five is her trip. Very disappointing from Royal Scotsman in the Irish 2000 and only Hi Royal really did anything to uphold the Newmarket form. How good is the winner? He had the run of the race and behind him the rest finished in a pile. Only time will tell whether this was a good renewal and whether the winner was just best of a poor bunch.
The Irish 2000 Gns was not a strong race. The time was 1m 40.80s. The 7f 3yo handicap was run in 1m 24.93s with the winner carrying 4lb more than the Gns winner. I make it that it took the Gns winner 15.87 secs to run that extra furlong; the handicap winner averaged 0.47secs per furlong quicker than the Gns winner
Got to say that I thought ITV Racing was excellent today. Maybe that was because so many of the 'usual' faces were absent. Sally-Ann Grassick was as always very, very good. Entertaining and informative. Whilst it was a delight to watch Francesca Cumani and Jason Weaver do their Lady from the Manor House and jovial, jolly footman routine. Top notch broadcasting, say I. Hand over that BAFTA. Performance of the day??? Honourable mentions to both Paddington and Dramatised but for me it has to be Little Big Bear. You don't see acceleration and a turn of foot like that very often. Bit of a cliche but the 3YO won that race in a matter of strides. Blink and you'll miss him. Now a very warn favourite for the Commonwealth Cup and I ain't surprised. The follow on question must now be will his stablemate and fellow Guineas flop, Augustine Rodin, progress in a similar manner from start 1 to 2?!? If he does his Epsom opponents will be in trouble, I say trouble. Good debate on the Derby thread re the draw and the Racing Post website have this eve highlighted a stat re the Irish 2,000 Guineas and the draw. Namely that 10 of the last 13 winners, of the race, were drawn in stall 3 or lower. Interesting. Store that in the old memory bank for 12 months, people.
Got to agree with you about Little Big Bear. I thought Dettori (edit) was having a problem then suddenly he accelerated. But his head carriage was awkward and I can see him becoming a bit of a character. Also I saw the 2nd win a small race at Ripon on August Bank Holiday, and honest as she seems doesn't look Group 2 material, let alone 1. He'll probably win all the big Sprint races now.
The Irish 2000 was not run how I expected from trawling through the form. I was expecting Hi Royal to set off to make the running but a couple of the others challenged for the lead so I think Murphy decided not to make the mistake of fighting for it and then the other two just let him have it. So I wonder if they lost all the time in the first two furlongs. Nobody has published any sectional times yet that I can find but two lengths covered second through sixth and less than eight lengths covered the whole field except the two length winning margin of Paddington. The favourite Royal Scotsman pulled his chance away early so back to the drawing board with him. I should have made that favourite in the Ffos Las 8:55 last night my bet of the day: £3.5k for taking a horsebox trip to the track.
Little Big Bear was unbelievable really given he played up a little as well, hung, tail carriage high etc. Likely didn't beat much but once Aidan straightens that out and he's calmer within himself he will be hard to beat over the sprint distances.
Why don't I listen to this Bustino bloke!!!? My answer was to a QM comment who was similarly unimpressed with Little Big Bear's Haydock win..
