Sunday's Meetings Galway Festival Mixed 8 Races 1:50-5:30p.m. Chester Flat 6 Races 2:30-5:05p.m. Haydock(E) Flat 7 Races 3:45-6:45p.m. Racecards At The Races Sporting Life Racing Post Good Luck
Irish trainers not afraid to run their horses - in the 2.55 at Galway, 4 of the 8 runners ran in the Galway Plate just 4 days ago.
Topanga started her 3yo career in the Fred Darling Stakes. She didn't run badly and finished 5th. On her next start she trailled in last and repeated the feat a few weeks later. She thenran a week or so before her intended bow at the July Sales and won a 7f handicap at the price of 28-1. She still went to the Sales and was bought by her trainer, Andrew Balding, for 125,000gns. Now she's a very well bred filly being by Siyouni out of a mare from one of the best Juddmonte families and I'm sure Balding will be keen to breed her to some select stallions. But first she's running at Chester today in a 7f handicap and has bottom weight. I'm on.
Actually runners throughout the card (in both codes) that have already run at the festival during the week. But the 2.55 is down to 7 now as Tullybeg is taken out. The Mullins pair head the market but Easy Game has not won a chase at Galway in 5 attempts and Janidil is not the most reliable proposition. Both ran in the Plate, as did Elliott's Hurricane Georgie, so maybe Sean Doyle's novice Monbeg Park is the answer. He probably found things happening a bit too quickly for him up against some of Ireland's top novices last winter but, after a couple confidence boosters over hurdles earlier in the summer, he took a beginners chase at Wexford 3 weeks ago in really nice style. He travelled powerfully and jumped well and, after making his only slight mistake at the 2nd last, he jumped the last fluently and readily asserted under hands and heels on the run-in. He is only rated 130 so clearly has a chunk to find with the Mullins pair but he is unexposed over fences and if Easy Game and Janidil aren't at their best after running on Wednesday then Monbeg Park might have a squeak.
There are very few Group 1 sprints in France for horses three or older – only the Prix de l’Abbaye springs to mind if the Prix de la Forêt (seven furlongs) is not considered a sprint – and the French rarely have any top quality sprinters. It is not very often that you get a Group 1 race with a field of 15 or more other than Classics, the Arc or a couple of sprints at Royal Ascot. So this year’s Prix Maurice de Gheest (3:07) is a bit of a rarity. The number giving it a try suggests it must be open (on top of there being lots of prize money). So evaluating the Deauville feature statistically means looking at the ‘foreign’ raiders: the winner is likely to be British or Irish three quarters of the time. Of the home team, it seems easy to draw a line through Classic Flower and Game Run as not good enough. Seven year old King Gold won this last year and won the Prix de la Porte Maillot last time beating Exxtra but the reality is that the runner-up will probably reverse that running here. Puchkine, Havana Cigar and Beauvatier filled the first three places in the Prix Jean Prat over course and distance, the winner being the wrong Rouget horse for punters on the day; however, that was a Group 1 race in name only and all three of them need to find a lot more to win today. Unbeaten Lazzat has obviously been laid out for this having not raced since beating Havana Cigar and Puchkine in the Prix Paul de Moussac in June, so he must be the best hope for the home side. Bellano won a Listed race at Longchamp when last seen in May but this is surely too big a step up. Matilda Picotte ended last season winning the four-runner Challenge Stakes at HQ but has done nothing in two starts this term and could just end up being an inadvertent pacemaker today. Of the British raiders, Saint Lawrence has done nothing in five starts this season (was third in this last year) and the filly Great Generation does not look good enough following up a Group 3 win at this trip with fourth in the six furlong Group 3 won by Flora Of Bermuda at York. Andrew Balding’s filly might eke out a few pounds of improvement here over the extra half furlong and she will need to against the two top rated runners in the field. As they supplemented her the trainer obviously thinks she can. Khaadem defied his years to win back-to-back Jubilee Stakes at the Royal meeting but those two fast ground wins are his only ones since 2022, which leaves just the favourite MILL STREAM, winner of the July Cup when last seen having previously been third in the Jubilee. He is clearly the best horse in the race and won at the track twice last year over half a furlong less, one of them the Listed race on this card. The horsebox bringing Saint Lawrence was not just carrying him from Archie Watson’s yard. If you are prepared to take his wellbeing on trust, Bradsell runs in the Prix du Cercle (4:17) and looks a bit of a penalty kick with at least 7lb in hand on the official ratings, although he never won first time up last year before victory in the King’s Stand. The Prix Moonlight Cloud (3:42) – named after the filly that won the Maurice de Gheest back-to-back – features four British raiders but I do not fancy any of them. Louis Barthas was sixth in the Commonwealth Cup at 200/1 but is still a maiden. El Bodon was second in the Greenham but second last in the Jersey and his sole win was at this trip on the kitty litter. Star Music was last in the Fred Darling and the 1000 Guineas for Richard Hughes, fourth in a Listed race for James Tate and has now switched to Ed Walker. So the best chance for the Brits is probably HQ handicap winner No Half Measures, who won easily that day and is now rated 101. There are quite a few of the home team that look to have winning chances. The British bookies favour Jasna’s Secret, who beat Flers, Grand Grey and Symmetric Power two starts ago at Chantilly but was behind Shamrock Glitter (second), Grand Grey and Ten Horns last time over course and distance. The filly Messina is completely out of her depth here and Cavalletti is clearly not one of the better fillies in the Fabre yard. Talentuoso has not been seen since running third in a Listed race in April, so really the form pick here is SHAMROCK GLITTER, third in the Jumeirah Guineas at Meydan, winner of a valuable conditions race after and then the best of the home team when chasing home James’s Delight at the start of July.
The Sky Bet Sunday Series is proving to be really frustrating. The last fixture was comprised mostly of Class 5 and 6 races contested by animals of that level racing for good prize money put up by the sponsors. The trouble was, of course, that the horses at that level of the game do not have much in the way of consistent form for us form punters. Today at Haydock it would appear to be a better class of animal competing in mostly Class 3 and 4 races but this has instead resulted in a number of the races featuring short-priced favourites (two for Jim Goldie going for the Bonus) that ought to win in 4 of the 7 events. As I do not do maiden races the third race is eliminated. Just to muddy the waters further, in the last I see that notebook horse Baba Reza is entered. He won very easily last time over course and distance in a weaker race and has been raised 7lb, but that was only a nine runner race. Do I fancy him getting through 14 other runners today from a high draw if the jockey holds him up at the rear like last time? So the Fillies’ Handicap (5:15) looks like an open affair but the first I will eliminate is Rock Melody, 4lb out of the handicap with a 5lb claimer aboard. Three year old Flaccianello has only run once at this trip, failing to suggest she will be winning today. My Margie tries seven for the first time but can hardly be considered to be in good form having not placed since winning a five-runner mile event on the kitty litter in April. I think that Back See Daa would be double the price were she not in the Karl Burke yard as she drops back to seven after finishing second last in the Kensington Palace and seventh in a Deauville Listed race and today’s mark of 89 looks tough. Topweight Zouky has not placed in two starts this year but did win at this trip last August. Key To Cotai has a very live chance on form after winning at HQ over this trip and following that up with second to Jabaara at Carlisle; however, the handicapper has raised her 6lb for that, which makes this harder. Not Real was third here on her penultimate start but was well beaten on her handicap debut off 89 and lines up today only 1lb lower so a place might be the best she can achieve. It always makes sense to look at William Haggas runners near the bottom of the handicap and Sunfall has finished third on her last two starts (Zouky fourth last time) and is only 1lb higher here. I am expecting Tom Marquand to try and make the running, which I hope will set the race up for MERESIDE DIVA who Callum Rodriguez should have handy to pounce. She won last time (Rock Melody fourth) following on from a second in a similar type of race to today. The handicapper has put her up a fair 5lb for that win but she has had a seven week break having won two of her three starts at this trip.
In the (16:00) at Galway, a Premier Handicap Flat race over 7f on yielding ground, must give a sqeak to the Kingman gelding, Physique, who appears to have as good a chance of a podium finish as any? Track conditions and distance should suit OK. Wears hood, as in previous races. Seamie Heffernan rides for the Michael Fenton stable. 11/1 (Unibet/BetVictor) top price early-doors, on the ATR site. E/W best option.
Thanks guys. That makes a nice change after some pretty woeful selections lately from yours truly. Won at 9/1 SP after leading all the way under a good ride from Seamie Heffernan. Nice winner for the Michael Fenton stable and connections.
Bradsell 21/10 not a bad price considering Lazzat 33/10 could be pretty smart to win that, going away, by 3l
Interesting that only 10 weeks ago Physique was beaten 1¾L by Hurricane Ivor, who was 5lb worse off this time, and they ran to form pretty much with Hurricane Ivor ½l behind in second at 40/1
I think they all virtually stopped except Sigh No More but it would be interesting to know what speed she was going in that heavy ground
