I have to say that I am disappointed when I look at today’s Beverley card. I know a woman whose husband is involved with the course and next time I run into him, I will ask him how on a Bank Holiday weekend they have managed to put on a card that consists of three Class 6 races, two Class 5 races and two Class 4 races. I think the honest answer is that they can get away with putting on a low grade card and expect punters to show up. Beverley have spent money in recent years on improved facilities and I see that the premier enclosure is already a sell out for their last two meets (both midweek) so they really need to be trying to improve the quality of the racing to attract better runners.
Obviously the track is not responsible for the fact that the sprint handicap was split into two and both divisions have short-priced favourites on topweight chasing hat tricks. I am not sure that I would want to back Sugar Baby trying to give more than a stone away to three year old The Grey Lass (owned by golfer Lee Westwood) in the first division but Foreseeable Future looks capable of improving on last time to win the second division – The Grey Lass was second when he won at Ripon so the form might get a boost in the 3:45.
Three of the races are on ITV Racing along with Goodwood. Just four in the 2:40, where last time C&D winner Golden Keeper faces prolific winner Captain Kane and a very rare Sir Mark Prescott visitor Cappoquin. In the 3:15, the Roger Varian favourite is a non runner, leaving the Crisford’s first-time-in-a-nursery Beautiful Aisling trying to give 15lb to a horse that it beat four lengths last time in Greenroad.
The first race (2:05) is the biggest field of the day but there is very little to go on in the way of useful recent form. Crown Princess ran poorly over C&D in July and did not trouble the judge in a women’s race at Carlisle last time whilst eight year old Regal Mirage ran like a drain here two months ago and has not been seen since. Broctune Red seems to do a lot of his racing on the kitty litter at Newcastle (last two wins) but did win on the last day of the Beverley season in 2021 (I backed the second that day!); however, he has not been seen since May. Old boy Poet’s Dawn likes to get his toe in, has been running respectably lately and has won off higher marks than today’s 68 but is on a long losing streak. Three year old Outsmart may be the best chance of Ollie Pears two runners but his last win was here in May over a quarter of a mile further. David O’Meara’s Head Chef looks a live contender with the visor back on that he last won wearing at Ripon in June. STRANGERONTHESHORE won over C&D last time for today’s jockey, beating an Easterby hotpot. She is now 6lb higher and it would be a career best to win, so I am going to take a chance on her notching a third course win in a race where it might pay to be at the front end.
