Wednesday's Meetings York Flat 7 Races 1:50-5:20p.m. Carlisle Flat 6 Races 2:05-4:55p.m. Worcester(E) N/H 7 Races 4:50-8:00p.m Sligo(E) N/H 7 Races 5:05-8:08p.m. Kempton(E) A/W 8 Races 5:15-8:50p.m. Racecards At The Races Sporting Life Racing Post Good Luck
The nonsense of self-inflating flat ratings and Ascot's Chmpions day is on display in the Juddmonte again. As a 6 year-old Anmaat won the Champions Stakes last October on soft ground (what a surprise) and was put up 8lbs by the handicapper (115 to 123 having been around 115 for the previous 2 years). Ombudsman (rated 117 when beating Anmaat at Royal Ascot last year) is suddenly upped 11lbs for beating the very same Anmaat just over a year later and is dropped a pound for being touched off by Delacroix at Sandown - Delacroix raised 10lbs for that. 126 and 127 for those two horses is laughable. See The Fire to take the spoils for the fairer sex. How long till the jumps season?
Havent offered one for a while.... but got stuck into the 5.20 tomorrow and to my eyes TEMPLE OF ATHENA looks thrown in. Beaten 4l by Spicy Marg in the Molecombe (Spicy Marg will be rated 90+) and runs here with a 7lb claimer rated 79!@!@!... more none of its family managed to win over 5, it did and tomorrow is 6. From a mare by Dansili that has thrown 8 winners from 6f to 1m4f. By a miler so looks certain to stay really well. Missed the 14 but managed to get some 9 six places bet 365. If theres another in there then Chairmanfourtimes might be another e/way dabble.
In the Juddmonte I went with Danon Decile. His defeat of Calandagan in the Sheema Classic was visually as good as anything I have seen this season. He has not run since but a couple of months ago I heard he was being aimed at this race. He was 16/1 at that stage but is understandably shorter now that a few are absent but they were pretty predictable absentees. The Sun has been trying to hype the horse up saying that he has been backed off the boards into 10/3 but this is pure bollocks and there is 6/1 available. I agree with OddDog that Ombudsman and Delacroix are overrated but I feel See The Fire is probably a little bit overrated for a 12 length win from Beautiful Love who was rated 113 at the time but has retreated to an official rating of 108 and hasn't been seen since earning a RPR of 99 when only 4th at the end of May. Other than her maiden win, See The Fire has only won twice in her other 12 races and is yet to win in Group 1 company. . Sectional analysis showed that Delacroix out speeded Ombudsman last time, yet John Gosden stated his horse was out stayed by Delacroix in the Eclipse. If Gosden is right the York track should help him this time. I prefer Ombudsman of the two because O'brien has had a few stinkers of late, with Los Angeles failing to even beat a 300/1 shot who was rated 80 recently and Puppet Master was also stuffed at odds on, while The Lion In Winter ran 20 lbs short of his rating after seemingly getting back on track when 3rd in the Prix Jean Prat only to be tailed off in the Prix Jacques Le Marois past Sunday. Francis Graffard saddles the unbeaten Daryz but he needs to find about stone on previous form yet he is one of the more popular tips today. Quite why Birr Castle is in here makes no sense unless he is going to be the pace angle for Ombudsman, he'd be a real Qirat type winner. Danon Decile 6/1 for me. In the Acomb Stakes I was surprised to see Italy line up. I thought he looked more of a horse for next year and the 7f at York can sometimes throw up speedy types as the winner. Appleby's Distant Storm won narrowly on debut and the same concerns about the track apply at the same trip as his Newmarket win. However his race could hardly have worked out better, with seven of the field having won races since. He has had a race less than Italy, so could arguably have more to show us. There are a few here in the same boat having won their only start and they are big odds due to having won at less fancy tracks. At 6/4 I would tend to leave the race alone, noting that Ruling Court was only third to The Lion In Winter when Evens Fav last season.
