Saturday's Meetings Ascot Flat 6 Races 1:35-4:30p.m. Curragh Flat 8 Races 1:45-5:40p.m Newmarket Flat 6 Races 1:55-4:50p.m. Redcar Flat 6 Races 2:02-5:00p.m. Haydock Flat 7 Races 2:25-5:55p.m. Lingfield(E) Flat 6 Races 5:12-7:52p.m. Kilbeggan(E) N/H 7 Races 5:27-8:30p.m. Ayr(E) Flat 7 Races 5:35-8:42p.m. Racecards At The Races Sporting Life Racing Post Good Luck
Haven't bothered for well over a week with INGlorious Goodwood. So have had a nice bet THE FINGAL RAVEN last. night at 5 with 3 places!!!! Bet 365...
The annual joke that is Shergar Cup day is here again. So let us move on... The first race at Haydock, the Dick Hern Stakes (2.25) looks like it should come with a Wealth Warning. The favourite Shuwari has not been seen since March and whilst top of the official ratings, she is only a pound clear with Timeform. Three year old Never Let Go won the Sandringham and steps up in grade here but I wonder if that big handicap win is as good as it seems. Arolla ran a stinker in the Kensington Palace after running second in a seven furlong Listed race so just what form would I be backing her on today? She is joint second top with Timeform alongside Protest, who won a fillies’ handicap at Goodwood on handicap debut last time and also needs to improve for the step up in grade. If I were betting, I think that Charlie Johnston’s Suite Francaise would be of most interest, having won over course and distance and followed up with a creditable third in the Coral Distaff on Eclipse day at Sandown. Seven are set to contest the Rose of Lancaster Stakes (3.00). First Conquest looks to be up against it having not run since the Earl Of Sefton at HQ in April where he was third. Haunted Dream was stone last in the Wolferton and second last in the Strensall Stakes to end his last campaign so it is difficult to see why he should suddenly come good. There is only one three year old in the field and Detain can boast third place in the Prix du Jockey Club on his penultimate start; however, he did little in the Hampton Court on his most recent start and has something to prove today. Okeechobee also has something to prove. He won the Gordon Richards last term but was more than five lengths behind Military Order in the Magnolia Stakes on the Kempton kitty litter and more than seven lengths behind Royal Dubai at Newbury last time. That Newbury race was a career best by Royal Dubai and gives him a clear chance here although he was a well beaten fifth in the Diomed at Epsom on his previous start. After the Magnolia, Military Order was fourth in the Brigadier Gerard and then sixth in the Wolferton where Haunted Dream was last but HAATEM won. Richard Hannon’s colt was subsequently only third when favourite for the Summer Mile but now returns to ten furlongs and I think can return to winning ways. Yet another disappointing card at HQ (I should stop typing that: it is becoming almost a norm) with the ten runner Class 5 handicap closing the card as the biggest field. I would not cross the street to pay and attend. Only five for the feature race, the Group 3 Sweet Solera (3.40) and there looks to be a short-priced favourite in the form of Charlie Appleby’s Dance To The Music, winner of her only start and clearly well regarded to be pitched straight in at this level. The one to beat looks to be Chesham fourth Venetian Lace, travelling from the Charlie Johnston yard having been fourth in the Superlative over course and distance last time; however, she hung across the track that day so would I trust her here? Ed Walker has two runners and arguably the form runner in the race is his Midnight Tango, fourth in the Princess Margaret when last seen and stepping up a furlong. Being largely a form punter, I am put off this race by the Godolphin Dubawi filly, especially as she is ridden by one of my jinx jockeys! Over at The Curragh, six of the ten entered at the last declaration stage for the Group 1 Phoenix Stakes (4.00) were housed at Ballydoyle, so it was inevitable that it was going to carve up to single figures with Ballydoyle leaving three of the six in the field and two of them, the colt Gstaad and the filly True Love, vying for favouritism. Now that Gstaad is a non-runner, the filly should take care of Prix Robert Papin winner Green Sense. At 3.25, thirteen go to post for the Phoenix Sprint Stakes but this also looks to have a Wealth Warning. Top rated with Timeform is Kind Of Blue, winner of last year’s Champion Sprint but very disappointing in two starts this term and one to avoid. Lady With The Lamp and Ides Of March have done nothing lately to suggest they will be competitive. Black Forza won the Richmond as a juvenile but returns in both blinkers and a tongue tie; and Fregada makes only her third start after finishing second in a five runner conditions race. Vespertilio beat My Mate Alfie in a Listed race last time (Big Gossey fourth) and both look to have something to find today. Nighteyes was second in a York Group 3 last time and that should put her in with a shout here. Most interesting of the older horses is Bucanero Fuerte who won a five furlong Listed race on his return but has been kept fresh for this race and won the Group 1 Phoenix Stakes two years ago. There are a lot of ‘old faces’ in this one, such as Art Power, Big Gossey and Spycatcher that run in all these type of races and I would not be interested in any of them causing an upset, so it is no surprise that the bookies have made three year old BABOUCHE favourite, ignoring her dismal run in the Commonwealth Cup but considering her defeat of Whistlejacket in a Naas Group 3 on her penultimate start. A repeat of that effort should be good enough to win unless Bucanero Fuerte retains his old juvenile ability.
Off to see the Spireites at the Robins today. Which is the football version of the Shergar Cup. Very few folk will give a toss. Just wanted to flag how nice it is not having jumps racing in the calendar for last week and this weekend. Shows that it’s not needed in the summer.
Enjoy the game Nass. My shambles of a club will no doubt be bottom of the league tomorrow evening and stay there. Still sold out the away end though. Fans protest planned, none of them will enter the stands until 5 minutes into the match and there will be a huge protest banner placed over the empty seats.
Morning guys personally I can't stand this shergar cup nonsense, but balding likes him s horse in the 320. GL if you play
Hi Nass. I see young James Berry has been returned to you on loan for the season. He played a total of 34 mins for us so I'm sure he will be happy to be back there, at least for now
Two plays for tonight 7.30 Kilbeggan-The Little Yank @ 5-1 8.12 Ayr-Black Storm @ 6-4 1pt win on each
Bet365 saved me my money today, shortening both my selections up so that I backed neither of them. Then Babouche drifted as money piled on Ides Of March but neither of them got out of the second half of the field and my danger horse proved that he is still capable as a four year old. Ironically, Charlie Johnston’s Suite Francaise drifted in the betting and won and Dance To The Music drifted but still knew the right tune, so I could have had two winners today. With ITV’s second string presenting team at Ascot, I could have been forgiven for thinking that I was watching a meeting in France with all the races run at a married man’s gallop and turning into sprints. You can rip that page out of the form book. This season is getting to the point where I think I may just give up on betting altogether and switch to laying dodgy favourites on Betfair. I have no expectation for the York Ebor meeting. I can already see the “race of the season” turning into a five runner affair with three Ballydoyle horses and the Japanese.
I can never remember a season as bad as this for selections running below form. In the Gordon Stakes at Goodwood on previous form with Wimbledon Hawkeye Aidan O'brien's Galvsston would have won the race as the former had only been beaten a nose by favourite Merchant but been half a length behind Galveston the time before. Now we know the formbook rarely works out but the 106 rated Galveston ran to a Racing Post figure of 52 nearly four stones below his official rating. The Bha why they ran badly race report made no comment, so how badly do they need to run before questions are asked?
