Harry Hurricane did the business for us at Windsor on Monday evening and it’s put us in good shape for York.
I’m concentrating on the Ebor Festival this week but here’s an early weekly notebook including last week’s four horses for the tracker and a couple of ante-post selections for those of you who like such bets.
Earthlight Has Classic Look
The best race of the weekend was the Group 1 Prix Morny at Deauville on Sunday. It looked the best 2-year-old race of the season on paper with the likes of Earthlight, Arizona, Raffle Prize, A’Ali and Golden Horde all in the field.
The race was won by Andre Favre trained Earthlight who made it four wins from four runs. The heavy ground was a big unknown for the son of Shamardal. However, he handled it better than his rivals to hold Raffle Prize by a neck. It was the trainers first win the Morny since Zafonic took the race in 1992. Zafonic went on to land that years Dewhurst and the 2,000 Guineas in the following season and it looks like Earthlight will be taking the same route.
The first two pulled clear of the rest and the runner-up Raffle Prize also ran a blinder. She’s a high-class juvenile filly who will now head for the Cheveley Park Stakes.
The disappointment of the race was Coventry Stakes winner Arizona. He could only finish 4th and probably didn’t handle the testing ground. He surely is better than this form can leave this run behind when he gets better ground to race on. I think
Godolphin own the two best juveniles we have seen so far this season in Pinatubo & Earthlight. I think the latter is the better of the pair. The 12/1 still available with Bet365 & William Hill for next years 2,000 Guineas looks a good price to me, even at this stage. Ladbrokes were more impressed with the Earthlight win and have the colt at 8s.
Does Andre Fabre have another Zafonic on his hands? I think he might have.
Ante Post: Earthlight – 12/1 for the 2,000 Guineas.
Anyway, onto last week’s horses for the trackers.
Eyecatchers – w/e August 18th
Friday August 16th
Chelmsford
Concierge – George Scott
Seemed to be finding his form when 5th of 16 at Goodwood on his last start, the gelding built on that when staying on well for third at Chelmsford in the 5f handicap. A winner over 6f at Newcastle as juvenile he probably needs an extra furlong at a sharp track like this. The blinkers worked for a second time and he remains one to be interested when getting a stiffer test.
Saturday August 17th
Newbury
Donjuan Triumphant – Andrew Balding
A winner of a 6f Doncaster, soft ground, Listed race on the final day of the 2018 flat season. The 6-year-old hasn’t really fired this year but given his last three runs have been in Group 2 or 3 company it’s probably not to surprising.
His sixth placed effort in the Hungerford Stakes looks on the face of it a second successive poor run. However, this run should mean the handicapper will drop him a couple more pounds. It’s worth reminding ourselves that the ‘Don’ did win the Ayr Gold Cup, when it was moved to Haydock in 2017, off 1lb higher.
I have a feeling Andrew Balding is aiming the horse at another tilt at the Ayr Gold Cup. A better horse in the autumn he’s 5 wins from 13 runs 8 placed, between September & November compared to 0 wins from 19 runs 7 placed outside those three months. If he gets his favoured soft ground, he could take some stopping. He’s generally priced 20/1 for the Ayr Gold Cup and he looks worth a small each way investment as he won’t be that price if he gets his favoured going.
Ante Post: Donjuan Triumphant – 20/1 for the Ayr Gold Cup
Ripon
Airglow – Michael Easterby
Was much sharper for his seasonal reappearance at Hamilton 14-days previously. Two of his three career wins have come with soft in the going description so the rain that fell last week suited him in the Great St Wilfrid Consolation race. Always up with the pace he ran well to finish 4th of 19 at a fairly unfancied 33/1. He improved in the second half of last season and enters the autumn a fresher horse than most.
Relatively lightly raced for his age, just the 15 career starts I think there is more to come from the 4-year-old, and you would suspect that connections will be looking at races like the Bronze or Silver Cup’s at Ayr’s Western Meeting as possible targets. He’s just 2lb higher than his last winning mark and looks capable of defying his present mark before the season is finished
Royal Brave – Rebecca Bastiman
Another eyecatcher from the same Ripon race as Airglow. In a race where it wasn’t easy to make ground from behind, he did best of the of those held up in the rear to run on into 6th at the finish. The rain softened ground didn’t really suit, 0 wins from 10 runs 1 placed when soft or heavy has been in the going description.
The 8-year-old won three times last season but has found the handicapper in charge most of this year but there were signs here that he’s about to hit winning form. The handicapper has started to relent and Royal Brave is now 4lb below his last winning mark which was achieved here over 6f last September. A five-time winner at Musselburgh, over the minimum trip, there’s a race in the gelding before the season ends especially when encountering quick underfoot conditions.
Cheers
John