Tag: Beverley

Horse Racing Preview – April 23rd

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The horse racing action moves on to Beverley and Bath on Thursday with the unusually dry weather already having an impact on the ground. The going is good to firm on the Yorkshire track, good in places, but firm at Bath.

Hopefully there won’t be too many non-runners and the cards will hold up pretty well overnight. The 2.30 at Beverley is a competitive three-year-old handicap over seven furlongs and it may be worth taking a chance on Keith Dalgleish’s Go Dan Go. He is yet to score in five attempts but did little wrong when chasing home Second Wave at Redcar last time. The Godolphin-owned winner could turn out to be quite useful and Go Dan Go is worth another chance at this level.

Sir Michael Stoute got one on the board at Newbury at the weekend with Arab Spring in the John Porter Stakes. He saddles an interesting runner in Pleiades in the 3.00 race with Graham Lee on board. The son of Galileo looked a bit weak as a juvenile but Lee made all on him to win over course and distance in September. Graham Gibbons is in the saddle on Thursday and a mark of 84 may prove to be lenient.

Over at Bath, Roger Charlton saddles Master Zephyr in the 6.55 race with William Twiston-Davies in the saddle. He was unplaced in decent maiden races at Sandown and Newbury last season but ran out a good winner when dropped in grade at Wolverhampton in October. Although he had only a neck to spare over Romance Story, he was staying on powerfully at the finish and this race looks a fairly gentle introduction.

Austin Friars is an all-weather winner for Godolphin and the majority of those have struggled when switched to the turf. Triple Dip cannot be supported with any confidence after being beaten at the odds of 1-20 last time out so Master Zephyr gets the vote.

The runners in the maiden at 7.25 are not the quickest on four legs but Crisscrossed, Honourable Action and Ya Hade Ye Delil have all shown signs of ability. Frankie Dettori has made a great start to the season and I’m hoping to see him try forcing tactics on Ye Hade Ye Delil who has looked very one-paced in his previous races.

In the closing handicap, Akavit can defy a further 5lbs rise for Ed de Giles. He was in front a long way from home last time and Lorelei may have been flattered by her proximity at the line.

Go Dan Go 2.30 Beverley @9-2 Paddy Power

Pleiades 3.00 Beverley @9-4 Coral

Master Zephyr 6.55 Bath @9-4 Bet365

Ya Hade Ye Delil 7.25 Bath @9-4 Bet365

Akavit 7.55 Bath @2-1 Bet365

Beverley 31st August Preview

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Beverley stages a highly competitive sprint on Saturday with the £23,000 Beverley Bullet Stakes over five furlongs. The Yorkshire track has a reputation for having the biggest draw bias in the country in sprint races, surprisingly even more pronounced than that of Chester. It is believed that stalls 1-3 have a definite advantage and high numbers only come into the reckoning on soft ground.

Although there is rain around, the latest information I have is that the going is good to firm with watering. I cannot say that I bet at Beverley that often as I tend to favour betting on better quality animals but Saturday’s race has attracted some good class sprinters.

York Glory (drawn 4) won the Wokingham Handicap at Royal Ascot and was not disgraced in the Group 1 Nunthorpe Stakes at the Ebor meeting. His racing style is to come through late off a fast pace and there doesn’t seem to be a difference between his performance over five or six furlongs. Jamie Spencer should be able to get a nice lead into the race and it is not surprising to see him put up as favourite.

I was quite keen on Excelette who gave Jwala a good run for her money at York earlier this summer but I am concerned about her draw in stall 12. Her stable companion Tangerine Trees has kept good company this season and is a fast starter from stall six, although he has not been lasting home in recent outings.

Tangerine Trees won the Prix de L’Abbaye last season and also won on his last two visits to Beverley at odds of 10-1 and 33-1. He overcame stalls 8 and 9 to make all on each occasion so it would be no surprise to see him blazing the trail again here. Masamah is another fast starter but is drawn out in stall 11 with Ballista faring even worse in stall 13.

Caledonia Lady didn’t run too badly last time but also faces an uphill task from 15 and Stepper Point at least has every chance from stall 2. However, he needed plenty of encouragement to win a 7-runner conditions event at Nottingham last time. Tangerine Trees could well be the best option at around 9-1.

Mark Johnston’s Windhoek has been given some tough tasks recently and his followers will be starting to feel the pinch. He should be able to get back on the winning trail in the 3.40 race at the expense of Her Majesty’s Circus Turn. Joe Fanning is in great form at the moment and will hopefully take no prisoners here.

The best bet of the day could Sound of Summer in the maiden at 4.50. The Charlie Hills-trained filly ran a fair fourth on her debut at Newbury under a considerate ride from Johnny Murtagh and this could be a stepping stone to better things.

Tangerine Trees 9-1 William Hill

Windhoek 15-8 Ladbrokes

Sound of Summer 6-5 Betfair

Horse Racing Preview 29th May

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The midweek racing is not the greatest, as you would expect with the Epsom Derby meeting coming up on Friday. Wednesday’s evening meeting at Beverley offers the best quality of the day with some speedy two-year-olds set to clash in the Hilary Needler Trophy.

With so many meetings these days I must admit that I don’t follow the two-year-old form until after Royal Ascot. York winner Beldale Memory is the only youngster to have impressed me so far so I will be giving the Beverley race a miss. My nap of the day is in the following event; a Conditions race over five furlongs. The one that I want to be on is Heeraat who finished fourth in the Palace House Stakes at Newmarket last time.

The form of that race received a boost when runner-up Kingsgate Native won the Temple Stakes at Haydock. Heeraat was bang there with a chance a furlong out and this drop back to five furlongs should prove ideal. Hamza looks the one to give the favourite most to do but 7-4 with William Hill is worth taking.

The weather has taken a downturn after the weekend heatwave and rain has reached the Epsom area today and the going is now good, good to soft in places. There is plenty of time for the weather to go either way but I’ll be happy with anything other than firm ground for my ante-post selections Secret Gesture (4-1 Oaks) and Ocovango (9-1 Derby). With most bookmakers now offering NR/No bet on both races, now is a good time to pick off the last of the each-way value.

There has been a lot written about the stamina doubts of Dawn Approach and we will have to wait until much later in the week before we know whether Magician will take part. One horse that will definitely line up is the German raider Chopin, supplemented for £75,000 by his wealthy owners this week. I’ve studied his races and there is no doubting that he is a smart colt. His pedigree suggests that he will stay the trip and the rain will be good news for his supporters. I think that 12-1 represents a decent price against rivals that have plenty of questions to answer.

Chopin has been bought by Qatar Racing and they have given themselves a decent shout at the Oaks/Derby double by buying a 50% share in Secret Gesture. Trainer Ralph Beckett reports her to be in great nick going into the race and I’m optimistic. One filly that could still offer a little each-way value is The Lark. She was not at all suited by a slow pace at Newbury first time out and stayed on into third after being outpaced. Michael Bell expects her to improve a lot for that and I could see her running into a place.

Heeraat 7-4 William Hill
Chopin 12-1 Stan James
The Lark 33-1 Coral