Wonderstruck (11-4) kept us in profit on Friday when eclipsing the £2.6 million colt Hydrogen. It will be interesting to see where they go next with Qatar Racing’s record purchase but we are not quite talking Snaafi Dancer just yet!
Tomorrow offers a glut of tricky handicaps and stakes races at Newmarket, York and Haydock. There are some very competitive fields, in total contrast to the Brigadier Gerard Stakes at Sandown on Thursday night. I think that must be a contender for the weakest Group 3 race in living memory and it must have been very frustrating for the race planners.
I was surprised by the decision to pull out Remote after Hillstar had already been withdrawn, especially after John Gosden had taken a chance with Kingman last week at the Curragh. He was rewarded there with a classic victory.
Top Tug reminded us just how much Sir Michael Stoute’s horses can improve from their first run of the season and I’m looking to Rye House to do the same tomorrow. He won impressively at York last season but never made it back to the track. He did not get the clearest of runs at York on his return behind Clever Cookie but showed enough to warrant support at Newmarket tomorrow. Soft ground won’t bother him and it is just a matter of whether or not he is good enough to win off a mark of 98.
My other selection for Newmarket is more speculative. I’m taking a chance on Picture Dealer in the sprint, although I do have slight reservations about the ground. He ran a race packed full of promise when finishing in midfield at York first time out and he looks just the sort to bag a nice prize this season. He did win on soft ground at Brighton in 2012 but his most recent victories have come on a faster surface.
York looks fiendishly difficult so I’m going to bypass that meeting and look to Haydock instead. The seven furlong race looks quite a hot contest with the likes of Tawhid and Garswood entered. They are both talented horses who have yet to fulfil their potential. The same cannot be said of Eton Forever who is a real seven-furlong specialist and looks the safest option at around 9-2.
Eton Forever 2.40 Haydock at 9-2 Totesport
Picture Dealer 3.00 Newmarket at 16-1 Totesport, Ladbrokes
Rye House 3.35 Newmarket at 3-1 Paddy Power
