The weekly notebook is back after couple of weeks break. As I mentioned in my last e-mail, I have started my mid-season purge of the tracker horses. I’m sure I will miss some winners between now and the end of the flat season. So be it, as I had to make space for plenty of new eyecatchers from last week.
Plenty of good action this weekend although not on the scale of last week’s Super Saturday. On Friday we have the start of a two-day fixture at Newbury. The most valuable race of the two-day fixture is the Wetherbys Super Sprint for the juveniles. There’s also a solid supporting card with the £100,000 JLT Cup and the Group 3 Hackwood Stakes.
Although Newbury is the feature meeting of Saturday there’s also a competitive looking card at for summer jump fans at Market Rasen. As the Lincolnshire track hosts its most valuable meeting of the year with the highlights being two valuable handicap the Summer Hurdle and Summer Plate. Over the Irish Sea its Irish Oaks Day at the Curragh which also races on Sunday.
More on the weekend action later in the week.
Eyecatchers – w/e July 14th
We had some tremendous action at the Newmarket July Festival last week and that three-day meeting provides most of this week’s horses for the tracker but there’s also one from Ascot and a two from York’s Saturday card.
Thursday July 11th
Newmarket – July Festival
Moss Gill – James Bethall
A previous eyecatcher returns. Yes, it does happen occasionally. The width of the track separated Pass The Vino & Moss Gill and a short head at the line with the latter coming second best in the photo finish. The 3-year-old continued his improvement with a strong finishing effort on the near side. The strong pace suited the gelding. He’s been put up 4lb for this effort but remains on a competitive mark. He clearly stayed the 6f here, but he won’t have any problem returning to 5f.
East Of Eden – Hugo Palmer
The trainer is having a season to forget but he looks to have a decent juvenile filly on his hands. A daughter of Exceed Of Excel she was very keen in the early stages on her racecourse debut and did really well to hang on for third in the hands of Ryan Moore. She needs to settle better than she did, if she’s too fulfil her potential, but she’s certainly got a good engine and is capable of winning races.
Moqtarreb – Roger Varian
The colt had impressed when winning a C&D novice by four lengths on his previous start and was all the rage in the betting, being sent off 15/8, for the 1m handicap that concluded the card. He travelled powerfully through the race, without much cover, and plenty of use was made of him so not surprisingly he got a little tired and eventually finished 4th. After the race his trainer felt that the horse was unsuited by the quick ground. He deserves another chance when the going isn’t as fast and he can get more cover than he got here.
Friday July 12th
Newmarket – July Festival
Not So Sleepy – Hughie Morrison
He might be a 7-year-old, but he showed here that he’s still capable of winning a decent pot when in a going mood. On a long losing run on the flat dates to June 2017, did win over hurdles in February. He put in his best effort on the flat since finishing runner-up in last year’s November Handicap when a staying on 4th of 17 in the valuable 1m 6f handicap. Not a bad first effort over the distance and given most of his best form has come on good or softer ground, this effort was decent, given quick underfoot conditions. Handicapper has nudged him up 1lb but he remains 3lb lower than in the November Handicap.
Tsar – John Gosden
The son of Kingman made a highly encouraging debut when finishing 4th in what could turn out to be strong 7f maiden. Slowly away from the stalls, he ran green for much of the way but stayed on well enough under tender handling from Frankie Dettori. This run will should have taught him plenty and he can win races for his top trainer.
La Maquina – George Baker
Unexposed on turf having had just the four starts on grass. A winner at Goodwood back in May off 3lb lower. The gelding bounced back from a luckless run at Kempton, to finish 2nd of 13 in the 7f handicap. Unfortunately, the 4-year-old had the misfortune to come up against a handicap good thing in the shape of Light And Dark on this occasion. There will be other days for him and given his Goodwood win he will be of interest should he go for handicap at the Goodwood Festival.
Saturday July 13th
Newmarket
Ripp Orf – David Elsworth
On a day when the pace held up, it wasn’t easy to make up ground from the rear. In the Bunbury Cup, the first five home were all ridden prominently and not many of the hold-up horses got into the race. Ripp Orf did best of those held up and was staying on nicely into 6th, beaten just under two lengths at the line. He’s now dropped down to his last winning mark and must be a big player in the upcoming Moët & Chandon International Stakes back at his beloved Ascot on King George Day. A race the 5-year-old finished third in last season.
Dupioni – Rae Guest
As with Bunbury Cup, it was a race where the hold-up horses were at a disadvantage. That didn’t suit the filly who was settled at the back of the field. She ran well enough to be a never nearer 3rd behind the all the way winner. The daughter of Siyouni has only had the four career starts, winning at Kempton as juvenile and had made a pleasing seasonal reappearance when 3rd of 8 over C&D 22-days ago. Trainer does well with his fillies and Dupioni look capable of winning a fillies’ handicap off her present mark. Which is a 1lb lower than on Saturday.
Ascot
Blue De Vega – Robert Cowell
The 6-year-old had put in a seasonal best when finishing 3rd of 19 in the Epsom ‘Dash’ on Derby Day, beaten just ½ length, three starts back. Not so good on the tapeta in the Gosforth Park Cup but he ran much better here. Slowly away, he got a bit squeezed at the start, racing in the rear he made good headway on the rails, to finish 7th of 19. The damage had been done at the start but there’s no doubt when all the cards fall right and they go hard up front he’s handicapped to win off 4lb lower than last years winning mark.
York
My Lord And Master – William Haggas
If there’s one to take out of the John Smiths Cup with the future in mind. It could the My Lord And Master. The 4-year-old was having his first start for 225-days and his first run since a gelding operation. He was fancied in the pre-race betting, sent off at just 7/1, but never really got competitive after a sluggish start. His best RPR had come when runner-up over C&D last October, albeit the ground was soft that day. He’s on a competitive mark but probably found this going far to lively on Saturday.
Endowed – Richard Hannon
The 2-year-old looked to be on a good mark, off 80, for his nursery debut and was backed accordingly into 3/1 at the off. Always in a good position just behind the leaders, he didn’t get the clearest of runs when making his effort inside the final furlong and had to settle for a ½ length 3rd at the finish. Travelled like the best horse in the race and looked unlucky here. Up 3lb but should remain capable of winning a nursery like in the coming weeks.
Cheers
John