Thursday's Meetings Newmarket Flat 8 Races 1:45-5:40p.m. Ripon Flat 7 Races 1:55-5:20p.m. Cheltenham N/H 7 Races 2:05-5:30p.m. Limerick Flat 7 Races 2:15-5:35p.m. Chelmsford A/W 7 Races 5:50-8:50p.m. Racecards At The Races Racing Post Sporting Life Good Luck
I wanted to get this one on early as I'm quietly confident and wanted the early prices : 330 Newmarket Music Master 5/2 Trainer had admitted to trying to turn this horse into a 7f horse and that was never going to work so although Music Mater is 5 he relatively new to the sprinting game. He runs well fresh and this is what Candy said on his last start 'Henry Candy, trainer of Music Master: He´s getting better. It´s a pity they had a drop of rain as he wants proper fast ground. He´ll be a very good horse next year' 405 Newmarket Nafaqa 4/1 For me I would think that Moheet will turn out to be the better horse BUT as we saw yesterday you cant beat experience and this one may just get the better on its first run this season and when your disappointed to lose to Elm Park you must rate your horse- "He is obviously a horse with a lot of potential. I was slightly disappointed with him in the Royal Lodge at Newmarket, but Barry [Hills] has been very pleased with him this spring and hopefully he will get back on the winning trail. I would be surprised if he didn't stay further than a mile'' 440 Newmarket French Navy 9/4 Top rated in the race and finished last season by completing the hat trick. Appleby has said that he is showing his old enthusiasm in his recent work. It's probably best to note that French Navy has won first time out in three of his four previous seasons? Treble pays just over 22/1 , good luck if you play.
Off to Cheltenham tomorrow and then on to the national dressage championships at hartbury where we're expecting big things from our competitors. So I need a couple of big winners, please help. I'll give my selections in the morning Cheers.
For what its worth i like the look of Abigail Lynch, Lily Waugh, Blue Buttons in the first three races. Hope you have a great day and good luck with the dressage championship
JP McManus buys Gallant Oscar. It kind of annoys me when horses get bought at this stage. Thought the racing at Newmarket was drab yesterday but hopefully a smart one might be out for the Thursday.
ASTAIRE & FRENCH NAVY in a 15/1 double at newmarket for me tomorrow. Early part of season is tricky so more hope than expectation.
MOHEET 4/1 in the Craven. Very smart performance on debut and even greater value than the winning margin. Nafaqa the big threat but I think the Elm park form might unravel.
I really fancy Nafaqa in the 4.05 Newmarket very strongly, he has by far the best form in the race and should be a 6/4 shot on form. So I'm getting heavily involved at 4/1. Moheet obviously won a maiden impressively, but it was Salisbury, hardly a premier track, and the horses he beat haven't gone on to do much. White Lake was well beaten by Nafaqa last season, so not sure why he's the same price, whilst War Envoy is only getting respect in the market because he's AOBs, his form is poor and he couldn't even win a tin pot race at Dundalk a couple of weeks ago.
At Newmarket on Wednesday, I spoke to a gent after racing who had placed seven bets and found five winners. I wish I had met him earlier. The first three races were won by horse number three. In the fourth race horse number three was an odds-on favourite Guineas candidate and ran like a drain. My first backable selection, a filly trained by Gosden and ridden by Moore, ended up favourite for the Nell Gwyn but the race was won by the form horse under Frankie Dettori. My second was trained by Stoute and ridden by Moore but the race was won by the heavily backed favourite trained by Gosden ridden by Frankie Dettori. So I ended up 0 from 2. Take the Newmarket race times with a pinch of salt as there was a strong following wind but the last two winners should both go in the note book as they won with something in hand. Here are the ones to scratch from you list of possible winners on the eight-race Craven Stakes card: I am bothered by the Abernant Stakes as it does appear to be looking a gift horse in the mouth. On the figures, Music Master is the form horse, won first time out last term and Henry Candy’s contender ought to win this if he replicates his latest Group 1 third. I cannot help but feel that Astaire likes to get his toe in. Another race that represents a conundrum is the Earl Of Sefton Stakes, as the clear form pick is French Navy; however, he was beaten in the race last year. Four of his opponents strip race fit and another, Arod, won first time out (unlike the favourite). With Glory Awaits and Educate in the race, there should be no lack of pace, so surely no excuses for Charlie Appleby’s seven year old. The Craven Stakes looks a trappy contest. War Envoy’s second in a Listed race on the Dundalk polytrack does not look good enough to be running, so is he just here to give Ballydoyle a marker to the others? Kool Company is penalised for his Group 2 wins but is the form pick whilst the stable’s other runner, Moheet, is the dark horse with just an easy maiden race win to his name. Nafaqa was beaten by Elm Park when favourite for the Royal Lodge when last seen but previously accounted for White Lake. I am expecting Aces to try and make all as he did when third in the Champagne Stakes, so I hope that Nafaqa settles and I will give Barry Hills’ colt a chance to atone for his last visit to the track. Newmarket 15:30 Music Master 16:05 Nafaqa 16:40 French Navy
3.30 Newmarket American Hope 16/1 Given American Hope's tendency to over-race, the drop back to sprinting might be an inspired move by trainer Mike Murphy and although he has a good bit to prove on ratings I think the guaranteed strong pace will see this 4 year old excel given his abundance of natural speed. After arriving from Ireland and joining Mike Murphy's yard, it seems incredible that American Hope has yet to score on British soil so far and he definitely deserves to win a race in the very near future. After narrowly going down in a Conditions race at Lingfield on his first start for the yard over 6f last February, he was beaten a head in a Listed contest over 7f at the same venue a month later before running two more decent races again at Lingfield when beaten under 3L in a Listed contest and the 3 year old AW Championship final and all 4 efforts were excellent especially at a tight track which wouldn't have suited. American Hope was then switched to a galloping track for his turf and handicap debut off a mark of 99 over 1 mile in the Britannia at Royal Ascot when he was incredibly unlucky to be drawn on the unfavoured far side as he comfortably won his group but finished 6th overall. It was a tremendous run that day and if he was drawn on the right side then he could easily have won. Off the same mark he was again incredibly unlucky over Ascot's 1 mile trip on his next start when he was mowed down in the final 2 strides having traded long odds in running. Sitting 2nd throughout and racing keenly for about 2 furlongs, American Hope found himself travelling better than anything at the 3f pole and with the leader wilting Shane Kelly had no choice but to kick him on for home at that point. Having looked to have the contest sewn up, he got very weary in the closing stages and was agonisingly collared late on by Mange All in a race that has worked out incredibly well. There is no doubt in my mind that American Hope, who was carrying top weight and conceding 13lb to the winner, was the best horse in the race and if he hadn't been in front for so long he would have definitely held on. He ran no sort of race in his final start last year at Goodwood from a wide draw which you can ignore and he has already shown his well being this year with a fine effort over 7f at Kempton in a Conditions race 19 days ago on his reappearance as he went down by a head. In an evenly run contest which wouldn't have suited, American Hope (who was very reluctant to enter the stalls) was again very keen in the early stages of the contest and took a while to get going off a steady pace and just couldn't real back the winner Ninjago who was more suited to the way the race panned out. Nevertheless, that rival had good form in the book and was clearly rejuvenated by blinkers and it was a fine effort on his reappearance. Mike Murphy is a trainer I know that likes to take his horses along steadily throughout the season and although I feel he was fit to do himself justice (which he did) he will definitely have come on an awful lot for the run. It's definitely an experiment for American Hope to be dropped back to 6f as he is stepped into Group company for the first time but I think it could prove an inspired decision. In a race that looks sure to be run at a very strong pace, I think American Hope will definitely be able to settle better and get into a rhythm and I think he has enough natural pace to cope with the step back in trip. It is possible that a horse who stays a mile may not have the speed to live with the sprinting speeds but I think he will and it may be that his future lies at this game. Although he's taking on a lot of decent sprinters here today, I've no doubt that there is a lot more to come from American Hope this season and he'll definitely love the quick ground he'll encounter here today and at 16/1 I think he could surprise a few by landing this contest for his in form trainer.
In the other races, if Dan Skelton's volatile but very talented mare Stephanie Frances 15/8 turns up in good form she'll win the Cheltenham opener convincingly whilst Katie T 11/8 looks like she'll be incredibly difficult to beat in the 4.30 Limerick.
After having a brief look at the Cheltenham card today and hearing someone mention it was Mccoys last ride there. Milan Bound is surely going to go close in the 4.25pm? Won last time out and it was under a typical Mccoy ride but i just find it hard to believe that Jonjo wont have this primed so that Mccoy goes out on a high at the home of NH racing, add to that the first time blinkers and its close to NAP material.
Moheet and White Lake are the unexposed pair in The Craven and consequently will attract the support of those punters who bet on potential in the hope of witnessing something special. But that was a very odd race that he won at Salisbury last year, while the Cumani runner was disappointing at Donny last backend. Nafaqa, like his conqueror Elm Park, wants further than a mile but the yard must be respected. However, i'm going to take a chance on Hail the Hero springing a shock for his new connections at a massive price. None of these look like they can do anything all that quickly so there has to be a chance he can quicken up out of the dip and get away from them. I'm going to save on War Envoy, who was highly tried last year and needed the run at Dundalk early this month.
Music Master for me in a win single Also done trebles and upwards for small stakes on Music Master Arod Katie T Stephanie Francis Secret Brief
Morning all Got this sneaky feeling sureness will go well in the 205 at 14s Awtc Sureness,Stephanie Francis, twenty twos taken Good luck all
