Tag: Aljamaaheer

Newbury Preview – Saturday 16th May

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Notarised (tipped at 12-1) kept us ahead of the bookmakers at York on Friday and the show moves on to Newbury. The feature race is the Group 1 Lockinge Stakes at 3.45 with a huge field of eighteen runners set to go to post.

Night Of Thunder is the form choice having won the 2000 Guineas last season for Richard Hannon. He went on to chase home Kingman in the St James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot and was an unlucky loser at the same course on his final start. He is having his first run since October and there may be better value elsewhere.

I have followed Aljamaaheer over the past couple of seasons and was surprised to see Roger Varian run him in the top sprint races last season. He was placed in this race back in 2013 and went on to finish a close second in the Queen Anne Stakes over a mile. He looks overpriced at 25-1 after finishing an unlucky second at Leicester on his seasonal reappearance.

It may also pay to have a little each-way on Moohaarib who won with plenty in hand at Ascot last time. He had previously hung away in the closing stages of the Lincoln but looks just the type to run well in a race like this.

Telescope looks difficult to oppose after his fine run at Newmarket last time. He was just caught on the post by Second Step but will strip fitter in the Aston Park Stakes and has 6lbs and upwards in hand of his rivals here.

The 3.10 is the London Gold Cup and the one that interests me here is the bottom weight Dutch Uncle. Ed Dunlop’s colt was beaten by Jack Hobbs in December before winning his maiden at Wolverhampton. He ran a cracker when second to Subcontinent at Doncaster first time out and the winner has gone in again since. The form received another boost when King Bolete won a hot handicap on Friday and Dutch Uncle has to be the selection here at 9-1.

Our final tip at Newbury on Saturday is Pamona in the Listed Fillies’ Stakes at 4.20. Luca Cumani’s filly was an impressive winner at Newmarket in October and looks destined to better things.

Telescope 2.0 @4-5 Bet365

Dutch Uncle 3.10 @9-1 Paddy Power

Aljamaaheer 3.45 @25-1 Stan James (each-way)

Moohaarib 3.45 @14-1 Bet365 (each-way)

Pamona 4.20 @7-2 William Hill

Royal Ascot Saturday Preview

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Royal Ascot comes to an end on Saturday with the Diamond Jubilee Stakes being the headline event. With the possible exception of Black Caviar’s sensational visit, this race seems an odd one to feature on the closing Saturday. In fact, I am surprised that they haven’t moved the Ascot Gold Cup to the Saturday as most of the other traditions have gone out of the window in recent years!

The Gold Cup was the highlight of the week for me. What a game effort by Estimate to get so close to winning it for a second consecutive season for Her Majesty. I thought that last year’s runner-up Simenon hinted at a return to form by making up a good deal of ground in the home straight. With Brown Panther also running well on ground faster than he likes, there are plenty of options including the Melbourne Cup again for both horses.

My regular readers will know that I have followed Aljamaaheer throughout his career and that he has seldom let me down. He is quite an easy horse to read in that he loves fast ground, almost always pulls too hard and just barely gets home over a mile. With that in mind, it is not that surprising that Roger Varian has trained him for the sprints this season.

His first attempt came at the Craven meeting where he duly missed the break! It was probably the one thing that could possibly beat him that day, rather like England failing to mark the one player on the pitch capable of beating them on Thursday night!

Hopefully Paul Hanagan will make sure that he gets away on level terms and he will surely run a good race. He is not that easy to win with as he tends to only win in photographs but he looks solid each-way value.

My other bet on the Ascot card is for Sir Michael Stoute’s Telescope in the Hardwicke Stakes. Stoute has only got two top class middle-distance colts and it seems odd that they face each other here. Hillstar could be the biggest threat as he handles this quicker ground but Telescope looked a class act at York last year and we’ll give him one more chance. His form with Noble Mission doesn’t look so bad after that horse won a Group 1 in Ireland.

Telescope 3.45 Royal Ascot at 9-4 Paddy Power, BetVictor

Aljamaaheer 4.25 Royal Ascot at 9-2 Paddy Power

Newmarket Thursday Preview

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The opening day of the Craven meeting was packed with competitive racing but Thursday’s card does not look quite so appealing. The headline Craven Stakes has effectively been reduced to a duel between Toormore and Be Ready.

Godolphin have high hopes for Be Ready, a strapping chestnut son of New Approach. He was well-touted before his debut at Newbury in August but he was a big, raw two-year-old and found the more streetwise Somewhat far too good. Although beaten four and a half lengths, he still showed plenty of potential and landed his maiden at Doncaster the following month.

He looked much more the finished article that day and quickened away from Barley Mow to win by three lengths. That form may not be top drawer but he has entries in the 2000 Guineas and the Derby and is clearly well-regarded.

On the bare form, he has no real chance of beating Toormore over this trip. Richard Hannon’s Guineas hope won the Group 1 National Stakes in September to be the top-rated two-year-old. Giovanni Boldini finished third in that race and went on to finish second to Outstrip in the Breeders’ Cup, another horse beaten by Toormore last season. If Toormore is anywhere near his peak, he should provide Ryan Moore with a comfortable success.

The bet of the day has to be Roger Varian’s Aljamaaheer who drops back to sprint distances in the Abernant Stakes. The five-year-old will be having his first race over six furlongs since his debut win at Yarmouth in 2011.

Regular readers of this column will have fond memories of Aljamaaheer from last season, grabbing some each-way profits for us at big prices in the Lockinge and the Queen Anne Stakes. His run in the Queen Anne was arguably a career-best when going down by just three-quarters of a length to Declaration Of War.

He is known to prefer faster ground and conditions should be perfect for him on Thursday. Heaven’s Guest was a real money-spinner for Richard Fahey last season, winning four races including a valuable seven-furlong handicap at Ascot. He should come on for his run behind Dinkum Diamond at Doncaster last month and can claim place money.

Favourite-backers will be on good terms with themselves if both Toormore and Aljamaaheer oblige and Just The Judge could make it three in the Earl Of Sefton Stakes. She won the Irish 1000 Guineas last season but did not run up to that level on three subsequent starts. There were valid excuses for her on each occasion and she is entitled to win this.

Newmarket

Toormore (4.05) at 8-11 William Hill

Aljamaaheer (3.30) at 6-4 Paddy Power

Just The Judge (4.40) at 3-1 Bet365

Glorious Goodwood Tuesday Preview

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Yeager (20-1) gave us a timely boost on Saturday ahead of Glorious Goodwood. It was nice to get one on the board on a very tricky card. Trading Leather never looked like beating Novellist in the King George but he clung on to second place and that’s probably about as good as he is. It’s going to take a good horse to lower Novellist’s colours in the Arc.

Goodwood kicks off with a cracking good handicap over a mile and a quarter. I am a fan of Nabucco but I’m put off by his wide draw here. Fast Or Free has been taken out of several big handicaps at the last minute, presumably to wait for a bit of give in the ground. Haggas produced a nice horse to win first time out at York on Saturday so fitness shouldn’t be a problem. The trip is a bit further than he’s been before but he could be a group horse disguised as a handicapper and makes some appeal at 7-1.

The Molecomb Stakes looks a bit like the Windsor Palace Stakes revisited with four of that field renewing rivalry. Kevin Ryan’s Sleeper King was in front of his group for a long way at Ascot and I can see him hurtling down the hill here. Supplicant and Anticipated have obvious claims but it’s worth taking a punt at 12-1 that Sleeper King can hold on.

My old friend Aljamaaheer simply has to be my first day banker in the Lennox Stakes. He deservedly got his head in front here in the Summer Mile but this step back to seven furlongs won’t trouble him. He always travels well but doesn’t quite find as much as you would expect so Hanagan will be delivering his challenge as late as possible. If you can get the 11-4 I think that is a rattling good price for a class horse.

The mile and three quarter handicap that closes the TV coverage on day 1 features a host of familiar names. At the start of the season I thought Sir Graham Wade would make a Cup horse but he’s been very disappointing. He gets the blinkers fitted tomorrow for the first time and they should help Franny Norton to get a bit more out of him.

The Johnston horses are a law unto themselves and I have just about given up trying to figure them out. They run every week and vary between brilliant and average, Galician being a case in point at Ascot on Saturday. Oriental Fox looked set to win the slowly run Northumberland Plate but you could tell that his jockey was praying for the line and he got pipped by Tominator. I’m probably going to regret this but I’ll give the grey one more chance as he is twice the price of his stable companion.

Fast Or Free 7-1 Boylesports
Sleeper King 12-1 Ladbrokes
Aljamaaheer (NAP) 11-4 Coral
Sir Graham Wade 9-1 Betfair

Horse Racing Preview – Saturday 13th July

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On Friday we suffered a bad case of Seconditis. The “Big Two” didn’t really fire after their victories at Royal Ascot. Rizeena seemed to hang fire and lug to her left when Doyle asked her to quicken. Perhaps the ground was too fast for her.

I’m not quite sure what to make of the Falmouth Stakes. As I mentioned in my preview, it is simply amazing how much trouble a jockey can find in a small field in the wide open spaces of Newmarket. There is no doubt that Elusive Kate would have been disqualified a few years ago for carrying Sky Lantern across the track. Apart from it being impossible to overtake something travelling diagonally in your path, the whip-cracking across the horse’s face just about put the tin hat on it!

You don’t realise how often this goes on until you see the head on footage. A classic case in point was the closing race of the Royal meeting when Shahwardi was swiped across the head by an exaggerated whipping action from Jimmy Fortune on the eventual winner. Apparently it is an accepted part of race riding. Because the jockey is facing forward, they are deemed to be unaware that they are smacking a rival over the face.

Anyway, not content with two seconds we finished off with Moviesta looking certain to win the sprint handicap and yet somehow failing to do so. Whether Mulrennan was over-confident I’m not sure but I suppose you have to hand it to Fahey’s filly, Heaven’s Guest. She has been on the go all season and just gives everything she’s got.

Our Saturday ante-post bets are on Shea Shea at 9-2 in the July Cup and Niceofyoutotellme at 12-1 in the Magnet Cup. I think the race planners have gone in for overkill this weekend as there is top quality racing at Newmarket, York and Ascot. The Magnet Cup is playing second fiddle to Newmarket which means Ascot’s Summer Mile gets third billing.

Aljamaaheer has been a good friend of mine, remarkable considering that he has still only won two races. I’ve backed him at big prices in the Lockinge and Queen Anne and collected handsomely on the each-way bet. Tomorrow he’s got to go and win a race and, on past experience, he will come second!

Godolphin’s two-year-olds are starting to get into overdrive and I think Outstrip could be one of the better ones. The horse he beat here last time bolted up on Friday and he should follow suit on Saturday.

I could write a book about the runners in the Bunbury Cup! There’s Brae Hill who seemingly likes to be alone in his races (as when winning last year), Dance And Dance trying to make up for being balloted out of the Hunt Cup and Excellent Guest who pops up when you least expect it. But I’m siding with the Irish raider Burn The Boats. He landed a gamble at the Curragh, stays a mile and could be less exposed than some of these.

Ascot also stages a £100,000 sprint handicap to open the card and last year’s 1,2,3 are back for more. I’m torn between Barnet Fair and Taajub as both ran eye-catching prep races last time out. I’m just going to go with Barnet Fair because he seems to finish his races better than Taajub.

Channel 4 are covering 10 races tomorrow. Apart from the fact that we get more racing, we also get less waffle!

Ante-Post
Niceofyoutotellme 12-1
Shea Shea 9-2

Aljamaaheer 5-2 William Hill
Outstrip 3-1 Coral
Burn The Boats 10-1 William Hill
Barnet Fair 10-1 Coral

Royal Ascot – Queen Anne Stakes Preview

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After the drama of the Epsom Derby there is a bit of a hiatus with fairly modest racing on offer this week. Royal Ascot is the next port of call for many of the top class racehorses and now is as good a time as any to look for a little value.

The bookmakers have singled out Animal Kingdom for special attention in the Queen Anne Stakes, the opening race of the meeting. The price of the Dubai World Cup winner has been slashed from 11-4 to 13-8 with speculation that market rival Farhh may be heading to the Prince of Wales’s Stakes instead. Godolphin have stated that no decision has yet been made and this is not a bandwagon that I want to follow.

If you look at the placed horses in the World Cup they were Red Cadeaux, Planteur and Side Glance. They are all familiar names to British racegoers and it did not look a particularly strong renewal. Another factor is that we are talking about a straight mile on turf for the American horse and I think people are getting a little carried away.

If Farhh does take his place in the field he would certainly be a very serious rival. The way he stamped his authority over a good field at Newbury in the Lockinge Stakes was very impressive. On that evidence he is certainly among the best milers in Europe and Godolphin are clearly in two minds whether or not to step back up to ten furlongs. His price has drifted to 7-2 but that would quickly disappear if he were declared to run.

His Newbury victims included Sovereign Debt, Aljamaaheer and Declaration Of War. The latter was a big disappointment and no definite plans have been made for him. Sovereign Debt ran the race of his life to finish second whilst Aljamaaheer also posted a career-best. It would be difficult to make a case for either of them reversing the Newbury form but they could certainly run into a place. I’ve followed Aljamaaheer throughout his career to date and he has so far promised more than he has delivered. There didn’t seem to be anything wrong with his Newbury effort and this looks the logical race for him at the meeting.

Gregorian is an intended runner after his workmanlike success in the Diomed Stakes at Epsom. That followed up a decent effort at Haydock and I liked the way he responded when passed by the free-running Producer. Trainer John Gosden may have helped to ignite the gamble on Animal Kingdom by referring to him as ” a beast” in his post-race interview but I think the present odds are too tempting to ignore for Gregorian. He is available at 51-1 on Betfair and is worth a little each-way flutter. If the field cuts up, as it usually does for this race, he could be much nearer 14-1 on the day.

Aljamaaheer 33-1 each-way Bet Victor
Gregorian 51-1 each-way Betfair