Saturday's Meetings Curragh Flat 8 Races 1:30-5:25p.m. Market Rasen N/H 7 Races 1:35-5:00p.m. Cartmel N/H 7 Races 1:40-5:10p.m. Newbury Flat 7 Races 1:50-5:20p.m Ripon Flat 7 Races 2:10-5:38p.m. Newmarket(E) Flat 7 Races 4:20-7:38p.m. Doncaster(E) Flat 8 Races 5:15-8:45p.m. Haydock(E) Flat 6 Races 6:25-9:00p.m. Racecards At The Races Sporting Life Racing Post Good Luck
Lovely summer jumps card at Market Rasen and the Summer Hurdle (14:40) looks an absolute cracker with any number of unexposed runners contesting. Paul Nicholls pitched Brave Knight in at the deep end last October after a couple of facile novice hurdle victories but he couldn't live with Valgrand in a Grade 2 st Cheltenham and was put away for the winter after that effort. He has had 2 recent runs on the flat - firstly when well beaten at Chester on reappearance (but soft ground against him) and latterly at Ascot where he ran a nice race to finish 5th in what looked a warm enough handicap. He goes here off an opening hurdles handicap mark of 127 and that looks pretty lenient in the context of his neck vicotry over Dodger Long at Newton Abbot last summer. Bits of 6/1 available at the time of writing.
I hope everyone read the At The Races article about the Irish Oaks. It trailed itself as being the article to read to be sure to pick up on all the key trends you need to consider before making your selection. Sweet Jesus, it is a race with seven runners where it is 28/1 bar two runners. The favourite Minnie Hauk is 2/9 and son Joseph's filly is 5/1 second favourite. I can't think of any race where the stats could have less relevance. If wasting one article were not bad enough, At The Races saw fit to do a horse-by-horse guide to the race as well. After several wafflings about the chances of the contenders, the conclusion is that the author could not recommend a single bet because of the restrictive odds and he recommends putting Minnie Hauk into multiples at 2/9 Man am I going to give those bookies a whipping. The space would have been better put to analysing a more competitive heat and ignoring the Group 1 rubbish for the irrelevance that it is. Absolutely shocking quality. Over at Newbury I have backed Ancient Wisdom in the 1.50 at 5/1 He was a very useful type last year but has looked out if sorts this season. He has paid the ultimate price for that though and was gelded not long after his latest start. That could focus his mind and after running in the Group 1 Coronation Cup at Epsom last time is now dropped into Listed company and that should see him in a better light. I thought 5/1 underestimated his chance in this class of race. Newbury 1.50 Ancient Wisdom 5/1 Good luck to everyone having a wager.
I moaned on another thread about the pathetic fields at HQ this season and then get to the weekend and find that it is even the same at The Curragh. O’Brien took one of his fillies out of the Irish Oaks to leave Minnie Hauk long odds on to complete the Oaks double (8lb clear with Timeform). Just three rivals show up in the Railway Stakes to oppose his Queen Mary winner True Love – and one of those is a stablemate. Whilst there are nine in the Curragh Cup, there is nothing within 10lb of odds on Al Riffa on official ratings. In the Group 2 Sapphire Stakes (3.05), Rumstar looks to best option ahead of three year old Arizona Blaze as Temple Stakes winner Mgheera has generally run badly on easy ground. Back on these shores it looks like watching the weather could be critical at both Newbury and Newmarket. I have no idea why they have switched the meeting at HQ to a teatime start; and the last five races are all Class 4 and Class 5 handicaps that make little appeal when the current Good to Firm going might have changed by 4.20 when the meeting starts. The feature race, the Listed Aphrodite Stakes (4.55), looks between the form pick, Ribblesdale runner-up Understudy (rated 114p by Timeform), and the unexposed Appleby filly Spirited Style (rated 106P by Timeform). As so often happens, the Weatherbys Super Sprint at Newbury looks like a good pay day for a short-priced favourite as bargain buy Havana Hurricane comes in on 8st 13lb to add the £134k pot to his Windsor Castle victory at Ascot. With Ancient Wisdom out of the opening Steventon Stakes (1.50) that makes life much easier for Wolferton fourth Enfjaar as I do not think that his main rival Rashabar will stay the extra distance; and I have given up on Brian Meehan’s colt that has not won since last year’s Coventry (although he was fourth in both the 2000 Guineas and the Irish equivalent), who failed to land the Greenham here carrying my money. Watch Crowley find traffic trouble on Enfjaar (again!). There is a good field for the Group 3 Hackwood Stakes (2.57) but I do not think that last year’s winner Elite Status will be doubling up as neither of his efforts this season inspire confidence that he is as good as last term. Seven year old Diligent Harry won the Chipchase on the Newcastle kitty litter from the front but he has never won on turf and has been second twice in this race having run in it from 2021-2024. Ferrous was third in the Chipchase and last won on turf in 2023. Kind Of Blue was second last in the Chipchase as favourite and has underwhelmed in both starts this term; and he was third in this last year before subsequently being runner-up in the Haydock Sprint Cup and winning the Champions Sprint on soft ground. Fair Angellica was last in the Chipchase after winning a Salisbury Listed race but does hail from the in-form Hughes yard. Russet Gold has first time blinkers after two disappointing Listed efforts but has never won beyond handicap level. Jarraaf also has first time blinkers and William Buick takes over on Owen Burrows colt, beaten odds on favourite in the Listed race won by Fair Angellica and down the field when second favourite for the Wokingham. Will the head gear work miracles? Rage Of Bamby is yet to be involved in the business end of a race this year and the sole three year old Ain’t Nobody started 2025 with a third at this level and drops back to this grade after finding life tough in better races. It is difficult to fancy King’s Gamble or Khaadem on their seasonal reappearances (the latter was second in this in 2019 when race fit). So that process of elimination leaves me with Ed Bethell’s REGIONAL, third in a Meydan Group 1 at this trip before finishing third in the King Charles III Stakes (King’s Stand) at Ascot; the two best pieces of form on offer, making me think he can go three places better than he did in this last year.
Newbury 15.30. At 7/4 Havana Hurricane looks good value. Loves the fast ground, loves 5f. Won the Windsor Castle in a good time and caries 6lb less today
An interesting one (not a tip I might add).. last week it was mentioned about SUNLY contesting a G2 at Longchamp. Its half brother by Study of Man runs in a class 5 novice over 7 at Doncaster tonight for Charlie Johnston. Called Parisian Scholar.. I do know Look Back Smiling later on the card is expected to run very well with conditions in its favour. 5lb penalty with the jockey mind you..Raining hard at Doncaster.
