Tag: John Gosden

York Saturday Preview

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Winners may be hard to find at York on Saturday with some typically competitive racing. It is hardly the sort of meeting you want to see when you are looking for some extra pounds for Royal Ascot!

The good news is that one winner will probably cover your day’s betting and Fury can give us a good run for our money in the 2.40. The grey has been gradually coming down the handicap and now appears to be on a more reasonable mark.

He last ran at the Epsom Derby meeting when noted making late progress behind Sir Michael Stoute’s Abseil. He is a previous winner of the Listed Hambleton Stakes at York and should have everything in his favour on Saturday. Frankie Dettori takes the ride and he looks a good bet at around 5-1.

The 3.15 is a tricky little contest in which a case can be made for Lockwood, Fencing or Guest Of Honour. Lockwood did not really hit form until late summer last year but didn’t run badly at Haydock first time out. He has yet to win over a mile but there seems no reason why he won’t get it. Kieren Fallon did not cover himself in glory with his Derby and Oaks rides but can drive this one home ahead of the frustrating Fencing.

The six-furlong three-year-old handicap is the feature race and I make no apologies for picking two in this race! Ironically they are drawn 1 and 2 so I hope they can bounce out quickly and hold a good position.

Betimes is the John Gosden runner and he must hold her in high regard to have run her in the 1000 Guineas first time out. She got impeded soon after the start and was always too buzzy thereafter, weakening out of contention. She dropped back to six furlongs at Haydock and was restrained before running on late to finish second to Aeolus.

The other one I like is Charles Molson who got no run at all in a similarly competitive sprint at Newmarket. He finished full of running in fifth place and you’d have to give him an each-way chance here. Henry Candy is a fine trainer of sprinters and Fergus Sweeney can take advantage of his low draw.

Fury 2.40 York at 5-1 Coral

Lockwood 3.15 York at 7-2 Paddy Power

Charles Molson 3.50 York at 9-1 Bet365

Betimes 3.50 York at 11-1 BetVictor

Newbury Thursday Preview

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With Royal Ascot less than a week away, horse racing finds itself facing an uphill struggle for column inches as the World Cup gets under way in Brazil. With the US Open also taking place this weekend, the build up to the Royal meeting is certainly going to be well down on recent years.

I think it has already had an impact because I have not even had an ante-post bet on the meeting! It does seem to be right on top of the Epsom Derby meeting this year and I would be very surprised if we see any classic runners pulled out again so quickly.

Newbury stages a more modest card on Thursday but there are some interesting contests and the all-conquering John Gosden team are out in force. The quality race on the card is the Lord Weinstock Memorial Stakes at 3.25 for three-year-old fillies.

Gosden’s Eastern Belle would probably not get within a bargepole of Taghrooda but has acquitted herself well at Newmarket and Goodwood and is the form choice. She easily holds Jordan Princess and Uchenna on her second to Marsh Daisy on the Sussex track. The proximity of Jordan Princess in the betting suggests that the Cumani team had an excuse for her poor effort last time. She was six lengths behind the Oaks winner in the Pretty Polly Stakes so must be considered the obvious threat.

Gosden then saddles The Third Man in the one mile handicap at 4.00. On the face of it, the grey colt has a tough task with 9st 7lb and only one race under his belt. That race resulted in a victory in a modest Lingfield maiden but he fairly rattled home that day and 75 seems a low estimate of his potential.

I don’t know why it has taken this long for Mr G to get him on the track but the fact that he is running in a handicap suggests he has a chance. Most of the opposition have far more experience and seem well exposed, the possible exception being Spirit Raiser. James Fanshawe is no mug and it will be interesting to see how the Hayley Turner-ridden filly gets on here.

The handicap at 4.30 looks tricky but I liked the run of Suitsus at Salisbury last time and he is worth a bet at around 6-1. Steve Drowne tucked him just behind the pace that day and he looked like challenging the winner Iseemist until lack of fitness told.

Eastern Belle 3.25 Newbury at 7-2 BetVictor

The Third Man 4.00 Newbury at 2-1 Paddy Power

Suitsus 4.30 Newbury at 6-1 Betfair

Nottingham Wednesday Preview

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With the Epsom Derby meeting on the horizon, we are faced with pretty modest entertainment for the early part of the week.

Apart from the usual musical chairs among the jockeys, the Derby picture has not really changed in recent weeks with all eyes on the much-hyped Australia. It will be interesting to see whether Ryan Moore elects to partner Chester Vase winner Orchestra or the seemingly more fancied Geoffrey Chaucer.

Wednesday’s Nottingham card sees the unexpected reappearance of Remote in handicap company. I must admit that I never expected to see him run again outside of Group company, let alone over a mile. John Gosden pulled him out of the weakest looking Group 3 in living memory at Sandown last week rather than risk him on the soft ground. The going is good to soft at Nottingham but I’m hoping that his class will see him overcome both the distance and ground.

The Rectifier ran well when third to Yourartisonfire in a competitive race at Haydock but he does not want it any softer while Fort Bastion was second in a York handicap. He only lost out by a short head there to Navajo Chief and had previously won the Thirsk Hunt Cup. Even so, it would be disappointing to see Remote’s colours lowered in this grade.

James Doyle partners him and he also teams up with Bragging for Sir Michael Stoute in the 4.20 race. Interestingly, she meets her Lingfield conqueror Etaab on worse terms and I think that the Haggas filly will come out on top again. The Haggas team are flying and he had six winners from eight runners on Sunday and Monday. I liked the attitude of this filly at Lingfield last time where she quickened all the way to the line and I think she may have too much toe for the Stoute horse.

I don’t usually concern myself too much with Apprentice Handicaps but I expect Rockweiller to follow up his recent Ayr victory in the last. He was under pressure some way out but kept finding more and was eventually eased down to a three and a half-length winning margin. He is up 8lbs but the jockey can claim 3lb so the seven-year-old should be up to the task. He is also a course and distance winner having won here in 2011 off an identical mark.

Remote 3.50 Nottingham

Etaab 4.20 Nottingham

Rockweiller 5.20 Nottingham

 

Goodwood Thursday Preview

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The Oaks form of Taghrooda comes under the microscope at Goodwood tomorrow in the Height Of Fashion Stakes.

John Gosden’s filly romped to a six-length victory in the Pretty Polly Stakes at Newmarket and has been favourite for the Epsom Oaks ever since. The trainer suffered frustration in the 2000 Guineas with Kingman being beaten narrowly and will be hoping to have better luck on Oaks day.

His nearest pursuer was Luca Cumani’s Jordan Princess but at a respectful distance with Uchenna further back in fourth. It will be fascinating to see how they perform in a race that also tests the value of the Cheshire Oaks form.

Feedyah is another interesting runner having been thrashed twice by Ihtimal in Dubai. That filly is my ante-post wager for the classic and I notice that Kieren Fallon has taken over from De Sousa. There are some strange goings on with Godolphin and their jockey plans at the moment.

I watched the performance of Psychometry that day with interest and she shaped well enough. As with most of Sir Michael Stoute’s horses, she needed the run to put her straight and I will side with her to improve enough to take this. Strictly on the book, she should not beat Secret Pursuit but that filly will be having her fifth start of the season tomorrow.

There are plenty of betting opportunities on a good card and I like the chances of Emef Diamond in the 2.40. Mick Channon’s horse ran well enough at Nottingham to suggest he can feature here. There are several dark horses to worry about including Fast Delivery who won easily on the all-weather but Emef Diamond is attractively priced.

Presto Volante can land the stayers handicap for Amanda Perrett despite the money being for stable companion Lion Beacon. You have to think that Ryan Moore’s booking is significant on the latter but Presto Volante could be picked out travelling best a long way from home at Kempton and he is only up 6lbs.

The Stoute bandwagon can roll on in the 3.50 with Russian Realm, a colt out of classic winner Russian Rhythm. He may not have her class but he ought to be up to taking this. The Rectifier may be a threat after a fine run at Haydock along with Roger Charlton’s So Beloved.

Emef Diamond 2.40 Goodwood at 14-1 BetVictor

Presto Volante 3.15 Goodwood at 15-2 BetVictor

Russian Realm 3.50 Goodwood at 9-4 William Hill

Psychometry 4.25 Goodwood at 5-1 Paddy Power

Lingfield Saturday Preview

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Aidan O’Brien resumed normal service at Chester this week by winning the two Derby trials. Whether or not we see Orchestra and/or Kingfisher at Epsom is open to question but he may not be finished yet.

It’s classic trial day at Lingfield (on turf!). The going is reported to be good so they must have missed most of the wet stuff and both the Oaks and Derby trials look worthy of close attention.

The aforementioned Master of Ballydoyle runs two in the Derby Trial. Mekong River has much the better form having finished fourth in a Group 1 last season. Joseph O’Brien partners him with Ryan Moore aboard the unbeaten Blue Hussar. Moore teamed up with Orchestra earlier in the week and could be on the right one here too.

The form of his maiden win may be nothing to write home about but the style of his victory suggests he is a smart colt in the making. He is a son of Montjeu out of a Woodman mare and found seven furlongs a bit on the sharp side last November. Once he got to the home straight he overhauled seven or eight horses. I suppose you could question whether or not he will handle Lingfield but I expect him to get the trip.

Of the other runners, I have respect Munjaz who is a big burly colt with a future. He won his maiden at a time when anything trained by John Gosden was winning but things are a bit more difficult now. Sudden Wonder’s Newmarket form is nothing out of the ordinary and Blue Hussar represents the value bet.

The Oaks Trial at 2.20 sees the return to action of Andrew Balding’s Casual Smile. I’ve always had a soft spot for this filly because she is by Sea The Stars out of Oaks winner Casual Look. I backed her mum at 14-1 for the Oaks and this filly could be just as useful. She ran well in all three starts at two and I have written at length about Taghrooda’s victory in the past. I rate that the best maiden of the season and the form looks pretty good now!

You never know what to expect from fillies, the Cheshire Oaks being a case in point earlier this week. Sir Michael Stoute runs Queen’s Prize in the Royal colours. She won on her debut on the all-weather but this marks a big step up in class. Ralph Beckett loves this race but I doubt even he knows which is the best of his three. Stick with Casual Smile to boost the Taghrooda form yet again.

Casual Smile 2.20 Lingfield 3-1 Bet365, BetVictor

Blue Hussar 2.55 Lingfield 6-1 William Hill

 

Nottingham Saturday Preview

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I cannot remember the last time that I was left so completely bemused by Saturday’s televised racing! We have an odd mixture of All-weather racing from Kempton and some packed National Hunt fields at Haydock. The jumps racing is at that odd time of season where the going has changed and everyone is trying to get a race into their horses before the summer.

Friday’s All-weather Championship at Lingfield was a great success, not least for our followers with three winners courtesy of Ertijaal, Captain Cat and Grandeur. Only the well-backed Valbchek let us down but I had my suspicions that I ought not to be trying to untangle that particular sprint. The programmers made a big fuss of launching the new meeting on Good Friday but I’d suggest they switch it to Saturday next year to replace the moderate stuff we have on offer tomorrow.

The Newmarket Craven meeting served to remind us once again that, if in doubt, back John Gosden’s horses. He was not quite able to match his magnificent seven from Newbury last weekend but he served up three more well-backed winners. Hopefully a few of you were on the Provident Spirit/Munjaz double on Wednesday.

Tomorrow he saddles four horses, all on the turf at Nottingham. Two of them are in the same race but the form suggests that it is safe to exclude Seagull from our calculations and look for a treble with the remainder.

Paul Hanagan (I shall resist the temptation to join the band wagon slating him for his ride on Aljamaaheer) partners Zerfaal, a twice-raced son of Dubawi. He was a fair sixth on his debut at Newbury when strongly fancied last August. He was then made favourite at Kempton last month but found Crystal Lake too good. He was given a bit to do that day and has a decent chance to go one better here.

William Buick is aboard Gilbey’s Mate in the 6.45, a handicap over a mile. He ran in some smart maiden company last season. If you look at the form of his Newmarket debut he sounds like a good thing. Oustrip beat True Story with Sudden Wonder in fourth. All three are owned by Godolphin and have classic entries, the last two of them having won at Newmarket in midweek.

Court Room has been placed twice in Lingfield maidens and is the best of those with previous form. There may well be something to beat him with the likes of Stoute and Bin Suroor in opposition but we’ll go with the Gosden factor. Seagull is by Sea The Stars out of an Indian Ridge mare but I’m hoping that Buick’s decision to stick with Court Room is significant.

Zerfaal 4.45

Gilbey’s Mate 6.45 at 7-2 Bet365, Paddy Power

Court Room 7.15