Hi all,
I’m writing
this in the middle of the Punchestown Festival which hasn’t gone well from a
betting perspective certainly on the first two-days anyway.
Plenty of
great racing to look forward to over the next few days with Newmarket’s Guineas
Meeting being the main highlight.
I slightly
different look to this week’s notebook. But the emphasis for the time being
remains looking at the better class meetings. In all truth I’m still finding it
hard to go through some many fixtures which of course this time in the season
we start to see.
Last Week’s Racing Review
& Horses To Follow
In this
week’s notebook which is longer than normal. I will be covering last
Wednesday’s Epsom meeting. Sandown’s Friday fixture and the Saturday’s flat
action.
Epsom
Wednesday
24th April
Epsom’s first
meeting of the new season features a couple of decent handicaps and the
Investec Blue Riband Trial over 1m 2f. This listed race now has a win and
you’re in status for the Derby.
Since the
race was given its Listed status It been won by Cracksman in 2017 who went onto
finish 3rd in the Derby and last year Dee Ex Bee who finished third
in the race went onto finish runner-up in the Derby.
It’s a race
that will probably become more of Classic Trial for the Derby over the next few
years as it’s good opportunity to test out a colt’s aptitude for the tracks
famous undulations.
O’Brien’s Derby Good Hope
This year’s
race was won by the Aiden O’Brien trained Cape
Of Good Hope. The colt is a full brother to Highland Reel and Idaho so
won’t have any problems with the 1m 4f distance of the Derby and certainly
didn’t seem to have any issues with the track.
He’s a best
priced 20/1 for next month’s big race which reflects his chance.
The second
home was the Ed Walker trained Cap
Francois. The colt isn’t entered in the Derby. Twice a winner last season
from three starts. This was a satisfactory return to action from the son of
Frankel. He didn’t handle the track as well as the winner and got a bit worked
up before the start. He was staying on well enough at the finish to get within
½ length of the winner. An extra couple of furlongs won’t go amiss and he’s
capable of winning races on the evidence of this performance.
The Great
Metropolitan Handicap doesn’t have the status it once had and indeed is just a
Class 3 handicap these days.
Knight Handicapper Sizzles To Win
Previous
Kempton Eyecatcher Soto Sizzler
looked well before the race and was well backed into favouritism (11/4) to win
the race. He didn’t give his supporters
to many anxious moments and came home the rather comfortable winner by 3 ¼
lengths at the line.
The gelding
was doing his best work at the finish and can find improvement for a further
step up in trip. After the race his trainer was talking about going for a
valuable 1m 6f handicap at Glorious Goodwood, a track he won at last year.
There was even talk about the Ebor Handicap although he will need to rise in
the handicap a fair bit more to get into that race.
The
handicapper has raised him 6lb for this win and he looks worth keeping in the
tracker for the summer months as he clearly enjoys a sound surface.
Angel Makes Winning Return
The big
handicap of the day was the Class 2 Investec City And Suburban Handicap over 1m
2f. The race was won by Mountain Angel,
trained by Roger Varian. The 5-year-old had no problems with the Epsom
undulations and was strong at the finish. Proving in the process that he does
stays further than a mile.
His late stablemate
Ajman King took last years renewal of the race before going onto to win a
valuable handicap back at the Oaks Meeting. It looks like he will be returning
for that race at the next meeting here. There was also talk of the John Smiths
Cup at York, as a possible target for the gelding later in the summer.
Very consistent
last year in handicaps, only out of the first three once in six starts, his
best form had come with a bit more ease in the ground than he faced here.
The
handicapper has raised him 5lb for this win but whose to say his improvement
over this sort of distance has ended? If he can build on this performance. He
remains a horse worth keeping onside, for now, starting with a return here next
month.
The race also
provided the first of this week’s eyecatchers in Mildenberger.
Epsom
Eyecatcher
Mildenberger, trained by Mark Johnston, hadn’t been
seen on the track since finishing runner-up to Roaring Lion in last season’s
Dante Stakes.
After his
Dante run, he was considered a Derby outsider and possible St Leger candidate
by his trainer. Unfortunately, he fractured his knee and couldn’t race again
last season.
He looked a
well handicapped horse dropping back into handicap company off a mark of 107
and not surprisingly he was sent off the 100/30 favourite at the off. Looking
well in the paddock before the race. Everything that could go wrong in the race
did so. He slipped after leaving the stalls and found himself at the back of
the field. He also didn’t handle the downhill part of the track at all. At one
point in the straight he looked like he would finish well beaten but his
stamina started to kick in the final two furlongs, and he was staying on well
all the way to the line to finish a 6 ¼ length 7th of 11. Which
seemed unlikely two furlongs from home.
It was a
pleasing return to action by the 4-year-old who needs 1m 4f and maybe further
to be seen at his best. A return to a more conventional track will also see the
colt in a better light.
He’s got an
entry in Saturday’s Group 2 Jockey Club Stakes at Newmarket, over 1m 4f. It’s a
course he won the Fielden Stakes at last year.
This is a step back up in class from Epsom but he shouldn’t be
underestimated!
Sandown
Friday
26th April
There was
also some good racing at Sandown on Friday with the Group 2 bet365 Mile the
feature race and two Group 3’s the Gordon Richards Stakes and the bet365
Classic Trial for the 3-year-olds. There were also several 3-year-old only
handicaps which should produce plenty of future winners.
The bet365
Mile was another Group 2 success for Beat
the Bank whose now 4 wins from 4 starts in the class. He’s yet to win in
five starts in Group 1 company and has yet to even place. Two furlongs out things didn’t look good for
the 5-year-old but not for the first time he dug in well and battled on to hold
Sharja Bridge by ½ length.
The smaller
the field the better he seems to be having won 7 of his 8 starts in field sizes
eight or less. Not for the first time he shaped here like would be worth a go
at 1m 2f. Maybe the step up in trip will enable the gelding to get that elusive
Group 1 success or maybe he’s just a shade short of that level.
Regal Reality, trained by Sir Michael Stoute, won a
Group 3 at Goodwood last season. He wasn’t the best away but stayed on well to
finish just 1 ½ lengths back in third. Of the first three home he may have
needed the run the most. The colt looks the sort to better as a 4-year-old.
He’s only had the six career starts and is another who could well step up in
distance in the coming weeks.
Crystal Ocean won the Gordon Richards Stakes for
the second season running. The
5-year-old was much more impressive than he had been 12-months earlier. This
was partly due to trainer Sir Michael Stoute having his horses well forward
this season and the sounder surface he ran on this time around.
Henry
Dunlop’s Knight To Behold was
expected to go well and ran well on his seasonal return to finish runner-up but
was no match for the winner at the finish. Extra
Elusive ran well into 3rd for Roger Charlton and needs to return
to 1m 4f. Fabricate who was just
touched by Crystal Ocean last year but was well back in 4th on this
occasion.
The winner is
0 wins from 3 runs in Group 1 races but he has finished runner-up in all three
of those starts. The Group 1 Prince Of Wales Stakes at Royal Ascot looks a
likely target for the colt and may be his best chance of landing his first
Group 1 success.
Bangkok, who had impressed when winning a
Doncaster maiden at the Lincoln Meeting. His improvement continued here in
winning this Derby Trial. Once taking the lead a furlong out it never looked
like he would be beaten. I liked the away he stuck his neck out at the finish,
but the son of Australia needs to find plenty more improvement if he’s to win a
Derby.
Alfaatik, a winner of a Chelmsford novice race
127-day on his racecourse debut, was thrown into the deep end here. The son of
Sea The Stars was racing in the first time blinkers. They didn’t seem to have
the desired effect on the colt as he was slow away and then found himself well
behind the other five runners. He’s still very inexperienced but he did start
to make some good headway a furlong out when the penny finally dropped.
Not sure he’s
deserving of going into your trackers, but he certainly looks to have plenty of
talent and improvement in him although he might also turn out to be a tricky
customer.
Sandown
Eyecatchers
There are two
main eyecatchers from the Sandown card and a filly who could well be an Oaks
contender.
Sea
Of Faith, trained by William
Haggas, will have gone into plenty of trackers after her fourth placed effort
in the 1m 2f fillies’ novice stakes.
The race
looks like form that will be worth following as the first four home pulled well
clear of the rest at the finish.
The winner Sparkle
Roll was giving 7lb to the field on account of her win at Haydock last
September. The daughter of Kingman is an imposing filly who has clearly trained
on from two to three. She was well on top at the finish to win by two lengths.
A half sister
to Derby winner Wings Of Eagles the Oaks looks a potential target for which
she’s now a 16/1 shot but she will almost certainly head for the Musidora
beforehand. I doubt she would want the
ground any faster than she got on Friday. Still she’s worth keeping onside.
Sea Of Faith,
a daughter of Sea The Stars and half sister to useful stayer Raheen House
lacked the experience of the winner. This was her racecourse debut and was
green in the early stages of the race. Coming from behind she made nice headway
inside the final two furlongs. Doing her best work at the finish she was
eventually beaten less than three lengths.
There’s plenty
of improvement to come from the filly as the season progresses and she step up
to 1m 4f. She looks a similar sort to connections Sea Of Class. So, it’s
possible that she could head to the Newbury Listed race won by her stablemate
last season.
Zuba,
trained by Amanda Perrett. Not a trainer I find easy to read.
However, I was taken with his third placed effort behind the useful Private
Secretary in the 1m 2f handicap.
A winner on
his third start at Chelmsford over 1m 2f last September. He looked the sort that
day to do well in 1m 2f + handicaps as a 3-year-old.
Making his
handicap debut off what looked a fair mark of 75. He looked in need of the run
before the race but still ran well enough to get within 4 ½ lengths of the
winner who could turn out to be a useful handicapper this year. He should
improve for this run and looks capable of winning a handicap or two in the
coming months.
Saturday Eyecatchers
Saturday
27th April
I have four
eyecatchers from Saturday’s cards at Ripon, Haydock and Doncaster.
Ripon
Staxton,
trained by Tim
Easterby, the 4-year-old was making his seasonal reappearance in the 6f Class 2
handicap. He was always up with the pace on the stand side and ran well for a long
way. Only headed inside the final furlong he eventually finished 3rd.
The
4-year-old was having his first start since October and like plenty from his
stable will come on for the run. When last season in action he was a 3 ¾ length,
6th of 17 at York off 2lb higher He’s gone well at York in the past
and will no doubt turn up for a sprint handicap there over the coming months.
Looks capable of winning a decent pot or two as a 4-year-old.
Haydock
By the time
of the 1m Class 2 handicap the going had changed to soft. Still there were two
horse’s who look worth putting in the trackers for different reasons.
Just
Hiss, trained by Tim
Easterby. The 6-year-old was making his seasonal reappearance after a 180-day
layoff. He was able to get out and adopt his usual front running tactics and
was in front until the two-furlong mark. Once headed he didn’t weaken out of
contention but stayed on finish 3rd of 11.
He was
entitled to need the run as he doesn’t have a great record after a 120+ day
break. Indeed, all four of his career wins from 12 starts have come when racing
between 8 to 15 days since his last run. His prominent style of running is well
suited to York and his record there is 2 wins from 6 runs 3 placed. An Official Rating of 90 won’t be easy to
defy and his record when rated 87+ is 0 wins from 19 runs 7 placed 37%. However,
he has finished within a length of the winner at Haydock & York off marks
of 89 & 91. So, although he may need to drop a couple of lbs to win if he
gets his conditions a win can’t be ruled out even off his lofty mark.
This was a
very encouraging return to action from the gelding who can win another handicap
this year when he can get out in front and boss a race.
Ledham, trained by Sir Michael Stoute. Hadn’t
raced on going as soft as this in his six-race career. Returning from a 193-day
break he was held-up he made some notable headway three furlongs from home and
although it never looked like he would catch the eventual winner Mordin inside
the final furlong he ran well to take second, beaten 2 ½ lengths.
A combination
of the soft ground and the lack of a recent run probably made the difference
here. Still this was a nice return to action by the son of Shamardal who
improved with racing as a 3-year-old. Just the type of horse his trainer does
well with. When he races back on a sounder surface, he can continue last
seasons improvement. Yet to win on his four starts on turf, both his career
wins have come on the all-weather, but surely, it’s only matter of time before
he gets his first win on grass.
His full
brother stayed 1m 2f so a step up in trip may well be worth trying. Handicapper
has only raised the colt a 1lb for this effort and his mark of 90 will surely
be defied in the coming weeks. Indeed, he could well end the season running in
pattern company.
Doncaster
Autumn
War, trained by
Charlie Hills,a winner of two of
his four starts last season at Nottingham & Goodwood. The 4-year-old was
unsuited by the moderate early gallop on his handicap debut back in September.
This was the
colts first run for 212-days and the bigger field and stronger overall gallop
suited the son of Declaration of War much better. Held up at the back of the
field he made good progress three furlongs from home and was doing all his best
work at the finish of this 1m 2f handicap to eventually finish a 3 ¾ length 4th
of 14.
Lightly raced
for his age he could well get further but he does need a decent gallop to allow
him to settle in his races. He will be all the better for his return to action
and is open to further progress as a 4-year-old. There are races to be won off
his current mark.
Cheers
John