Tag: Kempton

Kempton Thursday Preview

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The end of the flat turf season is rapidly approaching but there is still plenty of decent quality action on the all-weather at Kempton this week.

Thursday’s eight-race card includes some interesting handicaps that are worth having a close look at. Nurseries are notoriously difficult to unscramble but I like the look of Dark Wave in the 6.15 for Ed Walker.

He showed very little in his first three starts but was given a peach of a ride by Graham Lee to win at Redcar when stepped up to a mile last time out. He weaved his way through horses and only needed to push his mount out to win by a length and three-quarters. He has a 6lbs penalty but must go well if he adapts to this surface.

There are many dangers including the top weight Dutch Portrait who was not far behind the progressive Rosalie Bonheur at Salisbury last time. Prince Of Paris is another improver who looked slightly unlucky when beaten under top weight here last time.

Moonfaarid is making his handicap debut for Mick de Kock in the 6.45 and could get off the mark against some modest opposition. He and Zain Empire are the least exposed in the field and he may just have needed the run when beaten here last time. He moved up menacingly to make his challenge turning for home but his effort petered out behind The Steward.

The winner is strongly fancied to follow up for Sir Mark Prescott in the following race at 7.15.  He looked beaten early in the straight but rallied strongly. If Moonfaarid goes well in the 6.45, The Steward could look very well handicapped. Prescott’s team are just hitting form with several winners in the past couple of weeks. The danger may well be Barnmore who is a regular fixture at this meeting and won well last time out.

My final bet of the day is on the top weight Peace Accord in the closing race at 9.15. I had intended supporting Aragosta for James Fanshawe and Hayley Turner after their unlucky defeat at Wolverhampton last time. I am just swayed by the fact that Peace Accord is going back up to seven furlongs after finding six too sharp at Pontefract. He was just too far out of his ground that day to complete his four-timer but should be more at home over this trip.

Dark Wave 6.15 @11-1 BetVictor

Moonfaarid 6.45 @6-1 Bet365

The Steward 7.15 @85-40 BetVictor

Peace Accord 9.15 @4-1 Betfair

Racing Preview Sept 6th

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Triple Chocolate (6-1) ensured another profit on Friday for Betcirca followers. Mistrusting duly landed the odds but our treble hopes were dashed when Master Bond was just run out of it in the sprint.

Saturday’s UK racing action is one of those days when you are left wondering why we have an embarrassment of riches one week and next to nothing the next. Ascot, Haydock and Kempton all feature top quality racing and there is even a Scoop 6 expected to hit a £3.5million jackpot!

Starting at Ascot, Cornrow looks difficult to oppose in the opening race for the Gosden and Buick team. He won impressively at Haydock over a mile and shouldn’t be inconvenienced by dropping back in trip as he raced keenly in front that day. The danger could be Safety Check who was given too much to do at Goodwood last time and is a real seven-furlong specialist.

You could make a case for a dozen different horses in the Heritage Handicap at 3.30. Most of the top yards are represented and Second Step, Montaly and Battersea all have sound claims. I am going to go with Rainbow Rock, one of four runners from Mark Johnston’s stable. I liked the way he stayed on at Goodwood over a mile and a quarter and the 5lb claim of Cam Hardie gives him a winning weight.

Over at Haydock, Chancery has been unlucky in his last couple of outings and could be worth each-way support in the Old Borough Cup. Havana Cooler is a worthy favourite but he lacks a bit of acceleration and the handicapper keeps pushing him up for being placed. I think 9st 10lb will prove too much of a burden while the free-running Nautilus and York winner Glenard are others with chances. The going looks to have gone against bottom weight Epsom Hill who has romped to victories in soft ground and been clobbered by the handicapper here.

Sole Power looks set to try and win over six furlongs for the first time in his career in the big sprint. The going is drying out for him but it must be doubtful whether he is quite as effective over this trip. You could have thrown a large horse blanket over the first ten at York in the Nunthorpe but G Force and Cougar Mountain both looked unlucky. They represent good each-way value against the favourite.

There is also a good card at Kempton with two Group 3 races. Godolphin run three in the September Stakes, any one of which could win. As all three have been off the track for some time, it is anybody’s guess and it could pay to side with our old friend Dandino. He finished second in the American St Leger in his double bid last time out but handles this surface and deserves a victory.

Hugo Palmer has been winning races for fun lately and has a high opinion of Home Of The Brave. He was impressive at Newmarket last time out and should get the better of Maftool in the Sirenia Stakes at 4.10.

Cornrow 1.55 Ascot @9-2 PaddyPower

Rainbow Rock 3.30 Ascot @10-1 Bet365

Dandino 2.20 Kempton @6-1 Coral

Home Of The Brave 4.10 Kempton @5-2 Bet365

Chancery 3.15 Haydock @14-1 PaddyPower

G Force 3.50 Haydock @10-1 BetVictor

Cougar Mountain 3.50 Haydock @14-1 BetVictor

BetBright Chase Preview

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I hope you followed our winning tip for Kaylif Aramis at 11-1 on Saturday. I was surprised how comfortably he won and he could be one to keep an eye on if it comes up soft at the festival next month.

Saturday’s BetBright Chase has gone through many different guises but most will remember best as the Racing Post Chase. It has always struck me as a difficult race to quantify as it is neither a Gold Cup or a Grand National Trial. It usually tells us more about the Aintree marathon than forthcoming events at Cheltenham.

A mass of withdrawals owing largely to the continuing heavy ground has left precious little in the way of potential winners at either meeting. Paul Nicholls has left three in the race led by easy Ascot winner Bury Parade. On the bare evidence of his comfortable win over stable companion Grandioso you can see why he is favourite.

He always looked to be travelling best that day and strode away from Grandioso. I’d suggest that he ought to beat the same horse again on the revised terms but it may be worth remembering that he refused to race the time before. You wouldn’t want to be lumping on him too confidently.

Jump City is the third Nicholls horse and he’d have a chance on his second to Planet Of Sound here in January but ran no sort of race last time. Despite his advancing years, the winner is a serious contender here for Philip Hobbs and Richard Johnson. Both have a great record in the race and this is by no means the strongest renewal.

Rajdhani Express is surely going to be anchored by his big weight and the Alan King-trained pair make more appeal. Bless The Wings has always threatened to win a decent prize but you’d just like to see him finish one of his races better. Midnight Appeal ran well last time under a big weight but I’m just worried that this is coming up too quickly.

Plenty of people seem to think Ardkilly Witness is the one to be on but he looks short in the betting on what he has achieved. Baile Anrai ran well at Doncaster and looks capable of reaching the frame while Whats Happening and Bally Legend cannot be ruled out. There may be a few more withdrawals before the weekend and the safest option at the moment could be to go each-way on good old Planet Of Sound to record another Kempton victory.

Planet Of Sound at 11-1 Paddy Power

Kempton Saturday Preview

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Top quality National Hunt racing returns to our screens after last week’s modest offering. The highlight of a good Kempton card is the Tolworth Hurdle, a grade 1 event for novice hurdlers over two miles.

David Pipe runs The Liquidator who was an impressive 15-length winner at Cheltenham on his most recent start. At the time that looked a very smart performance, although his task was made considerably easier by some sloppy jumping from his rivals.

Pipe has said that the fact this race has been moved from Sandown could count against The Liquidator who is still a possible for the two and a half mile novice at the festival in March. You would imagine that the tactics would be to make sure there is a decent gallop with this small field and he looks the one to beat at around 5-2.

I am a big fan of Irving who may have been given a race by Prince Siegfried at Ascot last time had John Ferguson’s former Group 3 flat winner not fallen at the last. I am surprised to see him as high as 10-1 in places and he could be the danger.

The information on running and riding plans for the Lanzarote Handicap Hurdle was virtually non-existent this week until the final declarations were made on Friday. This surely cannot be a good way to encourage punters to invest ante-post. Now that we finally know what is and what isn’t running, the one to be on looks like Saphir Du Rheu.

The grey looked as if he had just joined in between the last two flights when winning at Sandown in December. Admittedly he has gone up over a stone as a result but the 5lbs taken off by Harry Derham should help and he is narrowly preferred to Junction Fourteen. Emma Lavelle’s gelding has been hyped up since winning over course and distance but that may not have been as strong a race as that won by Saphir Du Rheu.

Twinlight looks like a chaser with a future and I will be supporting him to beat Captain Chris tomorrow. He had his field well beaten turning for home in a Grade 2 chase at Cork last time out and was allowed to hack home from two out. You can ignore the sticky jumping over those fences as he wasn’t going fast enough to jump them any better!

The Liquidator at 5-2 William Hill

Saphir Du Rheu at 5-1 Bet365

Twinlight at 11-4 BetVictor

Kempton Thursday Preview

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The Boxing Day racing centres around the King George meeting at Kempton. The card also features an intriguing clash between leading Champion Hurdle hopes My Tent Or Yours and The New One. Both horses are better held up, particularly the latter who has displayed a tendency to pull up in front on a couple of occasions.

With a small field, this could become a game of cat-and-mouse with both horses being asked to quicken up between the last two flights. A couple of seasons ago Rock On Ruby lost out in an almost identical duel against Binocular but reversed the placings at Cheltenham. It is probably best to sit this one out as it is really the toss of a coin, as the betting suggests.

Punters could get off to a good start with Dubai Prince in the opener at 12.50. This horse was a Group 3 winner on the flat for Godolphin when taking York’s Strensall Stakes from Side Glance. The runner-up went on to lift a big prize in Australia and he looked to have carried that class over to the jumps when bolting up at Leicester.

Admittedly the opposition did not amount to much and they crawled early on, but he jumped better the faster they went and did not need to be asked a question. He is more likely to start close to even money than the 15-8 on offer early.

My second selection is Urbain De Sivola for Paul Nicholls and Daryl Jacob. He is running in a handicap chase following a fine seasonal debut in a competitive hurdle at Sandown. He was second to Deep Trouble who almost unseated his rider at the last.

Usually I would be hesitant about backing hurdles form over fences but this is a French-bred and they seem to be able to jump a fence from the age of three! It seems safe to assume that he has been well schooled and could be on a winning mark.

It looks like a poor turnout for the Feltham Novices’ Chase (now named after Kauto Star). Nicholls and Jacob could strike again with Just A Par but he is likely to be odds-on and was not entirely convincing when winning at Newbury. He needed a reminder or two on the first circuit and his rivals contributed to their own downfall with some erratic jumping.

Dubai Prince at 15-8 Coral

Urbain De Sivola at 7-2 William Hill

King George VI Chase Preview

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We finished in profit from Ascot last weekend thanks to Irving (11-4), Houblon Des Obeaux (4-1) and Flaxen Flare (16-1 each-way). Let’s hope that we can keep up the good work over Christmas when we all need a bit of a cash boost.

The King George has never been a particular favourite of mine because it is often won by the same horse at prohibitive odds. Kauto Star (5 times) and Desert Orchid (4 times) have been great in terms of popular racing winners but the race is generally not that competitive.

That is certainly not the case this year with a virtual re-run of the Betfair Chase at Haydock and connections of the first three home all being quite bullish about their prospects. It was Cue Card that came out on top at the Lancashire track, comfortably holding off Dynaste and Silviniaco Conti who were both making their seasonal debuts.

The second and third were the two horses that I earmarked at the start of the season for the Cheltenham Gold Cup and they certainly didn’t do their chances any harm at Haydock. Silviniaco Conti surprised by how well he travelled. In fact, he may have travelled a little too well and just ran out of puff in the closing stages.

Dynaste bowled along nicely and jumped like an old hand rather than a second season chaser. David Pipe must have been delighted by that and he appeared to love Kempton last season when bolting up in the Feltham. I just feel that Dynaste is more likely to be suited by this track than Silviniaco Conti, although I can see the Nicholls horse running a big race.

Cue Card improved over a stone from his first run to his second and Colin Tizzard has since revealed that his stable has been trying to shake off a virus all season. He is at pains to stage categorically that Cue Card is not affected and is in great shape for Boxing Day.

Al Ferof has always been regarded as a likely candidate for this race and he did nothing wrong when winning at Ascot. Admittedly he only had a single rival but that horse came out and ran well in a handicap at Cheltenham so it may have been a better run than it first appeared. It’s hard to see any of the others getting involved but it is set up for a cracking race between the trio from Haydock.

Dynaste at 100-30 Bet365, Coral