It was great to get back to winning ways on Saturday courtesy of Lost In The Moment (11-2) and Nabucco (4-1). What a gallant effort by the Godolphin horse to get up and win after being clouted by the whips of rival jockeys! Don’t ask me how Barzalona managed to get himself boxed in with four runners at Newmarket but he got away with it.
Nabucco landed some big bets to return 9-4 favourite and he looks one to follow. As I mentioned on Friday, he is pencilled in for the Magnet Cup but it will depend how much the handicapper clobbers him. Gosden’s headline maker of the day was the debut performance of Remote’s half-brother Kingman.
The hot favourite was Man Amongst Men following his excellent run in the Newbury maiden in which Berkshire finished third. Ridden by Spencer and sporting the colours of Qatar Racing, he ran a race eerily similar to that of Beldale Memory at Ascot. That should not be allowed to distract from the six-length victory of Kingman who got better the further he went. Bookmakers have slashed his odds to 14-1 second favourite for the 2000 Guineas.
I must be getting old but that doesn’t sound a bad price to me? Up until War Command blitzed the Coventry field I had a healthy cynicism about quotes for the Guineas. Now here I am with two colts and still 9 months to go until the race! Perhaps next year will be a vintage classic season!
The Irish Derby seems to have confirmed initial impressions that this season’s crop are a modest bunch. I had expected far better from Ruler Of The World who was beaten with half a mile to travel and Godolphin will not be amused by the desperate performance of Libertarian. Galileo Rock emerged as the only one with his reputation intact and is justifiably 6-1 favourite for the St Leger. I think he will be even better with a bit of give in the ground and he looks the one to beat at this stage.
Our ante-post wager on Mars at 20-1 for the Eclipse looks ok with the horse quoted as low as 5-1 but there is still no confirmation from Ballydoyle that he will run. It does seem the most logical target but you couldn’t be too confident about the three-year-olds beating their elders.
Al Kazeem is too short at 6-4 after his hard race at Ascot. Roger Charlton may regret his decision to take this route rather than his first instinct to go for the King George. Mukhadram will be expected to adopt similar tactics that nearly paid off at the Royal meeting, forcing the pace from the outset. The Fugue finished well in third that day and Gosden has declared his intention to run. I think she is the most likely to improve from that race and is almost certain to be in the frame. I will take her at 5-1 and hope that the rain stays away.
Ante-Post Eclipse
Mars 20-1 Betfair
The Fugue 5-1 Coral
Ante-Post 2000 Guineas
Kingman 14-1 Coral
Ante-Post St Leger
Galileo Rock 6-1 Skybet
