Tag: Luke Morris

Chelmsford Wednesday Preview

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The new flat turf season may have started on Saturday but the summer festivals seem a long way off with Britain being battered by storms this week. Flat racing fans have to content themselves with all-weather action for the time being but there is a good card at Chelmsford on Wednesday.

The feature race is the Totepool Handicap over a mile and three-quarters at 4.00 with five last-time-out winners in the field of seven. Lady Cecil saddles top weight Tacticus who has bolted up in two minor races at Southwell but the handicapper has punished him accordingly. He was never off the bridle to defy a 6lbs penalty last time but is now up a further 13lbs.

His rivals include the promising Wakea with Dubai World Cup winning rider William Buick in the saddle. The son of Cape Cross looks like a useful stayer in the making but Ryan Moore had to get after him to win on his seasonal debut. Jeremy Noseda has a high opinion of this one while Fergall made a belated start on the flat, winning by nine lengths at Lingfield. He has already won three times over hurdles so could be fairly treated on a mark of 87. I am reluctant to oppose a horse in such good form as Tacticus so he just gets the vote.

The action gets under way at 2.0 with a maiden race over a mile and a quarter. Marco Botti’s Giantouch has the best form in the book and looks sure to improve for this step up in trip but I like the filly Nawaasy. She raced very wide on her debut and was still beaten only a length at the finish. If she has made natural progress through the winter for Charles Hills, a race like this could be an ideal starting point.

Luke Morris can win the sprint at 3.00 on top weight Middle East Pearl for James Tate. He tried to cover her up in behind at Kempton last time when third to Zebs Lad, a fair effort on her first start since December. The danger may be the former Sir Mark Prescott-trained Vejovis. He has won over seven furlongs but is dropping back to the minimum trip after nearly making all over six last time.

Tate and Morris can complete a double on the card with Kempton winner Clampdown in the last race at 5.00. He carries a 6lbs penalty but this looks a much easier contest with the main threat likely to come from Three Gracez.

Nawaasy 2.00 @7-4 Bet365

Middle East Pearl 2.00 @2-1 SkyBet

Tacticus 4.00 @7-2 William Hill

Clampdown 5.00 @13-8 Betfair

Lingfield Friday Preview

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The winter weather is slowly releasing its icy grip on racing in the UK but the pick of the action on Friday looks to be on the all-weather at Lingfield. The highlight is the £28,000 Ladbrokes Handicap and the class horse in the field is Richard Hannon’s Magic City.

The six-year-old is a real seven-furlong specialist who is particularly effective at Goodwood. He picked up three handicaps in quick succession in the summer of 2013 and his handicap mark shot up from 85 to 102 in the process.

He caught the eye on several occasions last season, particularly when flashing home in third behind Red Avenger in the Betfred Mile at his favourite track in August. That showed that he can get a mile on an easy track but seven furlongs is his optimum trip and he looks primed to run a big race on Friday. He picked up a Conditions race at Kempton in November and looks good each-way value at 8-1 with William Hill. His biggest threat may be Brigliadoro who beat subsequent winner History Book last time out over this trip and is only up 3lbs.

The Unibet Offer Handicap Stakes at 2.35 looks a tricky contest with three of the runners having won last time out. Interestingly, all three came from off the pace and I’m siding with Spray Turn to follow up her Wolverhampton victory. Luke Morris looks as if he is trying to take off at times but it is best not to be fooled by all of the arm-waving. Spray Tan is up 4lbs that win but could Morris could have had a bit more up his sleeve than it first appeared.

No doubt there will plenty of punters happy to combine Spray Turn with Burnt Cream in forecast bets and it wouldn’t be the biggest shock if they finish in that order. Burnt Cream is up just 3lbs while Swendab has gone up 6lbs for his Kempton victory over six furlongs.

The best bet of the day may prove to be Coursing for Sir Mark Prescott and Luke Morris in the 3.40 race. We’ve made a few bob out of Don’t Be in recent weeks for the same combination and Coursing looks like a rapidly improving filly. She showed very little in her first four races but blinkers worked the trick last time, storming home at Wolverhampton by three and a half lengths. She carries a 6lbs penalty here and is much preferred to Grosmont who has shown a tendency to hang under pressure.

Spray Tan 2.35 Lingfield @7-2 Bet365

Magic City 3.10 Lingfield @8-1 William Hill

Coursing 3.40 Lingfield @Evens Paddy Power

Lingfield Friday Preview

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There are decent flat and jumps meetings in the UK on Friday including the reappearance of the smart Josses Hill at Doncaster. Nicky Henderson’s gelding was runner-up to Ptit Zig on his chasing bow at Ascot and meets nothing of that calibre at Town Moor. Anything other than a comfortable victory would be a surprise but he is likely to start a strong odds-on favourite.

Henderson has runners at Doncaster and Huntingdon with winning chances and will be looking to improve his strike rate after a slow start to the season. He should be among the winners but I am looking to the all-weather at Lingfield for my two bets of the day.

It will be interesting to see how Mick Channon’s Sgt Reckless gets on in the mile and a half maiden at 1.10. It isn’t that often that you see an eight-year-old start favourite first time out on the flat but the son of Imperial Dancer was a smart novice hurdler last season. He may find Ralph Beckett’s Belrog the main threat here, a lightly-raced son of New Approach.

My first wager is on Sir Mark Prescott’s Don’t Be who is trying to complete a four-timer in the 2.15 race. Prescott is a master at setting up a sequence with his handicappers and Don’t Be has worked her way up from a mark of 66 to 82. Much of the credit for her improvement must go to jockey Luke Morris who has ridden her to all three victories.

Morris would not win any medals for style but he knows how to get the best out of his mounts. She scored at Wolverhampton in November and followed up at Lingfield in December. She then completed her hat-trick by beating Brigliadoro by a short-head just before Christmas. The runner-up has won since so a 6lbs rise may not necessarily be enough to stop her on Friday. The weights give Zman Awal a good chance of reversing recent form with Bint Dandy and James Fanshawe’s four-year-old looks the main danger.

In the 3.25 I am siding with Shelley Birkett and Sabre Rock to complete a hat-trick for the Newmarket yard of Julia Feilden. Sabre Rock seems to have settled down since being taken down the start early and has won his last two starts over course and distance. After beating Turnbury by half a length he followed up in some style to beat Catching Zeds by two and three-quarter lengths. He could be called the winner a long way out that day and connections are keen to strike again before he is re-assessed.

The danger looks to be Top Set who is still a maiden after 13 attempts. He ran on from a long way back to finish second to Moulin Rouge last time under Hayley Turner. Seb Sanders has ridden the gelding before and takes over on Friday. I am just put off by the fact that he is yet to win and it is difficult to deliver a horse fast and late here in a big field.

Don’t Be 2.15 @9-4 Bet365

Sabre Rock 3.25 @9-4 Paddy Power

Kempton Thursday Preview

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The National Hunt racing is modest on Thursday ahead of the big weekend meetings at Sandown but the all-weather flat action continues at Kempton.

Jockey Luke Morris recently chalked up a career best tally for the year when surpassing last year’s tally of 168 winners. He could not be described as a stylish jockey by any stretch of the imagination but he gets the job done. He must also be a nightmare for the handicapper to read while trying to assess his winners, particularly those late developing three-year-olds of Sir Mark Prescott.

Morris should be on the score sheet again on Thursday on hat-trick seeking Vaguely Spanish in the 6.45 race. The son of Oratorio is trained by Tony Carroll and showed previous little until finishing an unlucky fourth at Brighton in October. He got off the mark at Windsor later the same month when bursting through late off a modest handicap rating of 49.

The handicapper put him up only 3lbs and Luke Morris did the steering on him when following up at Wolverhampton last month. He looked in a tricky position turning for home but responded gamely when pulled out wide and beat Gracefully by half a length. He is only up a further 3lbs here and the opposition looks extremely weak.

In the earlier maiden races I like the look of Richard Fahey’s Star Of The Stage at 5.45. The son of Invincible Spirit has missed the break on both of his starts so far, running on strongly at the finish to take third here last time out.

He races in the colours of Cheveley Park Stud so will be expected to pay his keep. The danger could be Stamp Of Authority who was still going strongly in the lead at the furlong pole over seven here last time out. He faded close home to finish only fifth but this drop in trip should see him go close.

You don’t often see runners in maiden races here that have finished second at Ascot first time but that is the case with Ajmal Ihsaas in the 6.15. Marco Botti is stepping the filly up two furlongs here but she could be a little better than your average maiden winner. Rock Kristal appeared to resent racing in a hood last time for John Gosden and could pose the main threat without the headgear.

Star Of The Stage 5.45 @2-1 Betfair

Ajmal Ihsaas 6.15 @4-5 Betfair

Vaguely Spanish 6.45 @11-8 Paddy Power

Lingfield Tuesday Preview

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Flat racing fans are clinging on to the dying embers of the turf season but the action continues throughout the winter on the all-weather tracks. Lingfield stages an eight-race card on Tuesday with the action starting at 2.00.

In the opening race I like the chances of Compton Mill after his promising debut at Newbury. Not a great deal was expected of Hughie Morrison’s colt that day and he started at 33-1 under John Fahy. After settling at the rear, he moved through in the closing stages to finish fourth behind Yeenaan.

The form received a boost when the runner-up Stoked cruised home at Nottingham last week and Yeenaan won again on Monday. As Compton Mill was only a couple of lengths behind those two, he should be good enough to win his maiden before moving on to better things. His dam was the tough mare Classic Millennium who won numerous mile and a half handicaps so he should make up into a decent middle-distance horse.

Newbury form is again on show in the second where Perceus is fitted with a hood after finishing third in a Conditions race. He did finish seven lengths behind Snoano and he could have a race on his hands with Taysh who also shaped encouragingly at Newcastle. I wouldn’t want to take too short a price about the Tregoning runner.

Reaffirmed is trying to complete a hat-trick for Ed Vaughan in the sprint at 3.30 and I think he may be up to the task. He has taken a long time to discover what racing is all about but Luke Morris has made a great job of settling him in his most recent outings. He weaved through a narrow gap up the fence to win at Wolverhampton and then followed up under a penalty at Kempton.

He looked to have a lot to do that night when turning in but closed down the leaders in a matter of strides and needed to be driven out to win by a short-head. Some reports suggest that he held his head high in the closing stages but I think that is harsh and I think he can get the better of Findhorn Magic.

Finally, I like the chances of David Lanigan’s filly Sequester in the 5.00 race. She got off the mark here in August and should have followed up at Wolverhampton. David Allan rode her that day and found himself trapped on the rail turning in. He managed to extricate her to the outside but the post came in time for 50-1 shot Polar Forest. The winner has since won at Nottingham and Redcar so Sequester is worth another chance.

Compton Mill 2.00 @6-5 Betfair

Reaffirmed 3.30 @85-40 Bet Victor

Sequester 5.00 @9-2 Bet Victor