Sunday's Meetings Galway Festival Mixed 8 Races 1:50-5:30p.m. Chester Flat 7 Races 2:10-5:22p.m Yarmouth Flat 6 Races 2:32-5:12p.m. Racecards At The Races Sporting Life Racing Post Good Luck
Unsurprisingly the O'Brien trained January is favourite for the Group 1 Prix Rothschild at Deauville. The daughter of Kingman hasn't really been the punters pal with two victories, both at 1/2 Fav, from her nine career starts. Third place in the Coronation Stakes and Second place in the Falmouth, when 6/4 Fav, has seen her rating rise to 115 from 105 but I have concerns about how good those races really were and she has been expensive to follow. She is also unproven on soft ground. For those reasons I will pass with some decent looking opponents rated closely to her and older fillies to deal with as well. Crimson Advocate reopposes from the Falmouth where she was a length and 3/4 behind January. She is 2lbs better off this time but is also unproven on soft. The stable also have Spiritual who ran a personal best last time and has won on soft before. That win was at Epsom and although a personal best leaving her on 112 now that track does not always translate to other venues and it was a lot lower class race she won when the ground was soft. Francis Graffard may have the best hand in the race. He has Matilda and Mandanaba. The first named unusually won the German 2000 Guineas where she thrashed the colts. That is a lower standard of course but she was a six and a half length winner. She has since transferred to the Graffard yard in France. Previously a winner on soft ground where she won by five lengths, her Racing Post rating leaves her with just a pound to find with January and she has only had three starts, surely leaving scope to improve again. Mandanaba was third in the French Guineas and was my selection in the Prix Diane (French Oaks) where she pulled hard early and took a while to settle. I thought she was coming with a winning challenge but she could not keep it up and weakened into fourth. Dropping back in trip looks sensible and if she settles better should be involved. She ran on good to soft in the Diane but has not run on soft. At the mile she may be OK on it. Looking at Matilda it is hard to get away from her. She picked up the front runner with ease in the German Guineas and fairly flew away, finishing with tons left in the tank. She ticks all the boxes apart from class but she looked out of the ordinary and has joined arguably France's top trainer. I'll take her stablemate to follow her home. 3.40 Deauville Matilda 4/1 Matilda/Mandanaba RF in case it goes the other way. Good luck whatever you are playing.
After just eleven contested the two big Group 1s at Inglorious Goodwood, a short trip across the Channel sees thirteen entered for the Group 1 Prix Rothschild for fillies and mares. The supporting card features three Group 3 contests and there is plenty of English and Irish interest. Those wanting to take a chance on the juvenile form have to wait until after the big race for the Prix Six Perfections (4.50 BST). There is a good chance that the Euros could be exported in this seven furlong contest but is hard to fancy them crossing to England as Adrian Keatley’s York Listed race winner Secret Hideaway was well hidden subsequently at the back of the Queen Mary field (fifteenth) and James Owen’s Wetsand won an ordinary fillies maiden at Doncaster on her only start. If the Euros are leaving France, they might be going home with Donnacha O’Brien courtesy of Balantina, third in the Albany and stepping up a furlong today. Francis-Henri Graffard fields Narissa, easy winner of a Saint Cloud maiden race at this distance in June, who might well be favourite on the PMU; however, with the British bookies the favourite is Christopher Head’s Kingman filly Green Spirit, winner of a maiden and a conditions race at Saint Cloud. The Prix de Cabourg (6.00 BST) has just six runners and one raider. Archie Watson’s Tadej has been fitted with a visor but the Coventry sixth will have to do better than when last visiting France where he finished two necks third in a sub-standard Prix Robert Papin. He could well do that. Also visored first time is Amy Murphy’s filly Baileys Encanta, last seen finishing third in a Vichy maiden race when ridden by a claimer. The reality of the matter is that they are going to struggle to handle the unbeaten filly Shiri. Francis-Henri Graffard’s Mehmas filly beat a more fancied stablemate on debut at Longchamp and followed up in a conditions race at Chantilly. Norfolk Stakes sixth Afjan was runner-up at this track in a Listed race last time (Jeudixx a length behind in third) and steps up to six furlongs today. Seven line up for the first of the pattern races, the Prix de Psyche (1.31 BST). British interest is in the form of Life Is Beautiful from the Gosden yard. Lady Bamford’s filly was last seen finishing fifth in the Ribblesdale so this might be considered a drop in class; however, the home defence consists of unbeaten Al Uqda, winner of a Vichy Listed contest last time following on from two conditions races; and the Prix de Diane third Cankoura (Zia Agnese eleventh), who looks very much the one to beat. So to the very competitive looking Prix Rothschild (3.40 BST) where seven of the thirteen are looking to export the prize money. A quick look at the ratings tells us that several of the runners are hoping for place black type at the best. The four year olds Riyabovka (fourth in the Listed Prix Goldikova last time after two handicap wins) and Start Of Day (fifth in the Duke Of Cambridge) look to have too much to do here. Godspeed won the Group 2 Prix de Sandringham having previously been eighth in the Pouliches (Mandanaba third, Exactly fourth) and also looks up against it. German-bred Matilda is the unknown quantity in the field. She makes her first start for Francis-Henri Graffard but thrashed the boys in the German 2000 Guineas at Cologne in May, a race in which Graffard had the odds-on favourite (second last). James Fanshawe’s Pina Sonata has not been seen since May either when winning a Leicester novice with something in hand and this looks like too big a jump in class. Donnacha O’Brien’s Atsila won a Group 3 back in May but subsequently was seventh in the Irish 1000 Guineas (January eighth) and sixth in the Falmouth Stakes (January second, Crimson Advocate third), that latter form suggesting she will struggle to reverse form with rivals today. Aidan O’Brien’s Exactly was sixth in the Coronation Stakes when last seen with stablemate January ahead in third; and the Falmouth second looks the more likely to win today. Crimson Advocate won the Duke Of Cambridge but was behind January in the Falmouth and it is hard to see why she should reverse placings back. The other Gosden runner, Spiritual, won the Group 3 Princess Elizabeth easily on Derby Day and that would suggest that he has fair claims to some black type but it would be a surprise if she was good enough to win. Mandanaba followed up her third in the Pouliches with fourth in the Prix de Diane and now drops back to a mile after a seven week break. I wonder if she is taking in this as a warm up for the Prix Jacques le Marois. Last year’s Irish 1000 Guineas winner Fallen Angel has certainly fallen from grace; she has not won since. This term she started with sixth of eight in the Lockinge and she was third behind Crimson Advocate in the Duke Of Cambridge. Today they have reached for the blinkers, probably out of frustration. From the win bet point of view, I think January looks the most likely (favourite with the British bookies) but I have a notebook horse in the field in the form of PINTA, a lightly raced four year old who was given far too much to do over course and distance last time in the Prix Goldikova and will be carrying my money as an each way bet at 16/1 four places with Bet365 in the hope that today’s pilot does not get her boxed in and she finishes fast for at least a place!
Once again January flattered to deceive in the Prix Rothschild. The field had split into two groups, although the two groups were not far apart. Fallen Angel led the centre group while Spiritual led the stands’ side group. At the business end of the race, January was produced and went after Fallen Angel, who had established a clear lead over her group. She got upsides Karl Burke’s classic winner but the grey daughter of Too Darn Hot fought back and won by a head. Whoever does the racecards obvious got their symbols mixed up as Fallen Angel was wearing cheekpieces not blinkers. My selection, Pinta, was held up out the back, again managed to find herself stuck behind a wall of horses with two furlongs to go and her jockey made a short lived effort once she saw daylight and then let her coast home well down the field. Having made the running in the stands’ side group, Spiritual was squeezed up badly as the runners around her challenged and ended up last and Mandanaba finished up second last having never challenged. The French stalls handlers get this week’s award for stupidest people in French racing before the race. They were trying to load Matilda into the stall nearest the rail and she planted her feet. So they then put the blindfold on and tried to push her. Amazingly (not) this did not have the desired effect: the horse knew where it was standing – with its nose near the stall gate! So they brought two more big guys and eventually three of them forced her into the stall. Why did the idiots not just lead her away, walk her round in a circle and lead her up?
Jesus that Matilda looked rank there. I think she used all her energy fighting with the useless French stall handlers. Four burly lads that the commentator jokingly referred to as Prop Forwards but were only working two at a time with the other two watching. The race started 6 and a half minutes late and Matilda was at the back and never travelling. Francis Graffard ran 3 but the best he could muster was 7th. Mandanaba had form tied in with some of these but never ran her race, miles below form and the home contingent put up yet another poor effort of preventing their Group 1 being plundered by overseas raiders. January was very short but nearly did it. I think if she had Moore on board she would probably prevailed as he is so strong in a finish. Over at Yarmouth Moon Target hosed up at short odds. Surely Prescott must step her up now as she is clearly talented and is as low as 16/1 for the 1000 Guineas. Not sure what the point of today's race was as she is not one of his usual hidden runners who emerge the following season with a looow handicap mark stepped up massively in trip and running up a sequence at skinny odds.
