The two horses i’m most interested in today at Jebel Tara and Ethel. I am still trying to come to terms with completely forgetting to put a bet on Jebel Tara when he ran a few days ago. 12-1 he returned and i was pre-occupied doing something else to notice, gutted. He’s a favourite of ours here at Betcirca, having racked up 7 out of his last 8 runs with victories.
Jebel Tara 10/3 Paddy Power 16:30 Ayr
Before i start talking about this horse, he’s up a further 6lbs for his latest half a length victory, which leaves him a little vulnerable. The plus side is Paul Pickard takes 3lbs off his back which should help quite a bit. I do have a soft spot for horses that continue to defy the handicapper, and Jebel Tara does just that. He’s versatile as well, having won at 6f through to 1m, on several different surface conditions. His main rival in the betting is True Pleasure who appeared out of nowhere to win his last race at 20-1, but the form has been franked with the 2nd winning since.. hmmmm.
Ethel 3-1 Paddy Power 20:00 Windsor
When reading into the form i thought Ethel was a standout betting proposition. After checking the odds available i noticed a massive difference of opinion between bookmakers for this horse. Paddy Power are a standout 3-1, while Skybet don’t want any of it, pricing him up at 2-1.
Ethel came 2nd in her maiden behind Plover, a horse that opened as favourite during the Coral Eclipse meeting then drifted like a barge from 2-1 out to 4-1, they couldn’t give it away, and it ran accordingly. She then headed to Doncaster and won her 2nd start (first on turf) with a decent turn of foot to get up by half a length after tracking the leaders throughout. This is only her third start, so with usual progression she could well have a great chance to follow up with another win today. She is up in grade from class 5 to 4, and up against likely potential improvers, so i’d keep stakes to a sensible level just incase.
