Hi all,
I couldn’t complete the weekly notebook last week due to bad head cold. But I’m back with plenty of horses to follow covering the last two week’s racing action.
There is no Classic’s this weekend. As we have entered that twilight zone between the end of the Epsom Derby Festival and the start of Royal Ascot
On Saturday there plenty of racing both sides of the Irish Sea but nothing that really grabs the attention at this stage.
Haydock has two Group 3’s and a Listed race but standout Saturday handicap. Beverley hosts two decent juvenile races. If it’s handicaps that you like then, Newmarket and Chelmsford with three Class 2 races each is where you will be heading.
However, as ever let’s begin back by taking a quick look back at the Investec Derby Festival and those horse’s worth adding to your trackers.
Friday May 31st
Epsom – Oaks Day
Anapurna won the Oaks by outstaying her rivals. Frankie Dettori always had his filly in a good position and although she was a bit outpaced two out, to her credit the daughter of Frankel kept finding for pressure and the further she went the better she looked.
Pink Dogwood and even more so stablemate Fleeting were not as well positioned as the winner. The former made a big move two furlongs out and looked the most likely winner for a few strides, but the big race move she made caught up with her well inside the final furlong and she just couldn’t match the winner. Her best trip could well turn out to be 1m 2f.
Fleeting was given a poor ride by Wayne Lordan. She was even further back than the runner-up when making her effort but made good headway to finish 1 ½ lengths back in third. He run can be marked up slightly and she would have a good chance of reversing form with the winner in the Irish Oaks.
Epsom Eyecatchers
Apart from Fleeting’s run in the Oaks. Two other horses caught my eye.
Setting Sail, trained by Charlie Appleby, a winner at Wolverhampton after a 572-day absence back in April. Possibly found his next race at Ascot coming too quick. Dropping back to 1m 2f and racing on the fastest ground he had faced during his light career seemed to find him out and he could only finish 4th of 11 behind Mountain Angel.
This was only his 5th career start and he remains’ a gelding with potential off his present mark when he gets more juice in the ground and a more conventional track.
Alemaratalyoum, trained by Stuart Williams. The 5-year-old looked like he was going to win a furlong out in the 7f handicap that concluded Oaks Day. But he could never get past the eventual winner and runner-up and lost third in the shadow of the post. This was a much better effort than his first two runs for connections. He’s twice won three times on soft & heavy and twice on good to firm, so seems versatile regarding ground. Three wins from three runs over a mile at Haydock for his previous trainer so perhaps a race back at that venue can be found for the gelding.
Only beaten ¾ length at the finish. He’s been nudged up 1lb for this effort If he can build on it he remains on a potentially winnable mark.
Saturday June 1st
Epsom – Derby Day
The form of this years Derby looks a bit messy. Less than a length separated the first five home at the line.
Anthony Van Dyke looked an unlikely winner when being pushed along coming into the straight and plenty of his rivals were going better at the time. Coming to two out he had seven or eight horses ahead of him, but he did find plenty for pressure and was given a great ride by jockey Seamie Heffernan who switched the colt to the inner. The son of Galileo stayed on to lead in the final 100yds and held off his pursuers.
Madhmoon, looked a doubtful stayer on pedigree, but he stayed well enough although not as stoutly as the winner. His final effort wasn’t helped by having to battle away with Sir Dragonet for most of the final two furlongs.
Sir Dragonet came with what looked like it would be a winning run two furlongs from home but didn’t have the change of pace to go clear of his field. Maybe it was the quick ground or the track or just his lack of experience that caught him out. Whichever is the case he remains a colt with bags of potential.
Japan was staying on well all the way to line to finish third. He also made his effort out widest in the final furlong. His improvement hasn’t finished, and he looks a St Leger horse in the making. That said if he was to go for the Irish Derby I wouldn’t be surprised if he turns the tables on the winner at the Curragh.
Broome who finished 4th could also head for the Irish Derby and maybe even be a St Leger contender. For me 1m 4f looks his trip. He also didn’t seem as comfortable on the track as others in the field and was also out widest coming around the bend.
It looked a tough race to fathom out beforehand and so it turned out to be. You could run the race again on a different track and get a totally different result.
Epsom Eyecatchers
Three handicappers caught my eye on the Derby Day card with two of them trained by same trainer.
A horse need plenty of luck in running the 5f Epsom ‘Dash’ and the likes of Eeh Bah Gum, Duke of Firenze & Copper Knight didn’t get the rub of the green and nor did Harome.
Harome, trained by Roger Fell, won twice last year and has dropped down to 2lb below his last winning mark. He improved on each of his first three starts and did so again here. Beaten 1 ¾ lengths into 6th.
The 5-year-old probably wasn’t as unlucky in the run as some I mentioned earlier. However, he was slightly hampered at the start and was staying on as strongly as anything at the line. Like a lot of the trainer’s runner he tends to need a few races to find his mark but he’s a handicap sprinter running into form.
A quick surface really suits and as he showed here a big field holds no terrors either. Although, it’s worth noting all his five career wins have come in single digit field sizes on good or quicker ground – 5 wins from 11 runs 45% +24.5 7 placed 64%.
He needs all the cards to fall right but there’s surely a nice 5f handicap in the gelding when they do.
Byron Flyer, trained by Ian Williams, won three successive handicaps over 1m 4f between Sept & October last year. All three of those wins came in cheekpieces. The headgear hasn’t been added on either of his two starts this season.
This was a much better effort than his York seasonal return. The 8-year-old just came up against an improving handicapper in Soto Sizzler and had to settle for second.
All three of his flat wins have come on good ground and the prominent racer is 3 wins from 5 runs +8 4 placed in field sizes seven or less. The handicapper has put him up 1lb for this run, but he remains capable of winning a handicap or two this summer when he gets his own way out in front.
Squats, trained by Ian Williams. The 7-year-old was having just his second start since switching from the William Haggas yard.
Both his wins since he was a juvenile have come over 7f and his top five Racing Post Ratings (RPR’s) have also come over that distance. Before the race 6f at Epsom seemed two sharp a test for the gelding but he ran well to finish 3rd of 14 in which the track record was broken.
This was a step up on his Ascot seasonal reappearance and he’s just 1lb higher than his last winning mark. He’s the type who will pop up in one of these handicaps this season. It’s just a case of catching him.
Previous Weeks Horses to Follow
In brief here are four horses for the tracker from the previous weeks racing.
Thursday May 23rd
Goodwood
Makzeem, trained by Roger Charlton. The 6-year-old put in an encouraging effort in the 7f handicap. Only 5th but this was his first start for 299-days He hasn’t won since September 2017 and he remains 3lb above that mark but he’s gradually getting back to a winnable mark. He handles quick ground but his best runs on RPR’s have come on good to soft. Capable of landing a decent 7f handicap.
Friday May 24th
Pontefract
Van Gerwen, trained by Les Eyre,put his best run of the year so far when beaten ¾ length into third here. The first time cheekpieces clearly had the desired effect and if the headgear continues to work a win can’t be far away especially when the 6-year-old gets more ease in the ground. A track with a stiff finish like Pontefract and Beverley really suits the gelding whose 2lb below his last winning mark. Has an entry at Hamilton on Thursday.
Saturday May 25th
Goodwood
Mr Diamond, trained by Richard Fahey. The 3-year-old made a winning seasonal reappearance in a Class 4 at Wetherby. He wasn’t disgraced when upped to Class 2 company in finishing 5th of 14 on good to firm ground, both career wins have come on good to soft, here. He went for a gap at the cutaway two out but that wasn’t the place to be as the action unfolded down the centre. Back down in grade, he looks capable of defying a mark of 79.
York
Gunmetal, trained by David Barron, won three of his six starts last season all over 6f, including the Great St Wilfrid Handicap at Ripon off 6lb lower. Looked on a tough mark on his Newmarket return. Dropped to 5f he ran a cracker to finish 4th of 19. Given this was his first career start over the minimum trip it was a good effort, especially on speed favouring track. Held up, not surprisingly he was doing all his best work at the finish. Unexposed over the distance, a strongly run 5f on a stiffer track could see the gelding defy his career high mark.
Cheers
John