Tag: Ryan Moore

Pontefract Tuesday Preview

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National Hunt racing will be making all of the headlines this week as the build-up to the Grand National goes into overdrive. The Aintree festival begins on Thursday and we will be previewing all of the big races and provide a preview of each day’s racing.

The pick of the action on Tuesday is the flat turf meeting at Pontefract which sees Sir Michael Stoute’s first runners of 2015. He does not have a reputation for having his horses fully wound up first time out but they are always a force to be reckoned with in maidens and I think Dannyday could start him off with a winner.

The son of Dansili is out of a Daylami mare and showed plenty of promise as a two-year-old. Both he and Secateur ran in the Doncaster maiden won by Commemorative in September and finished within a nostril of one another in seventh and eighth. Secateur finished his season with a fair second at Goodwood while Dannyday appeared to disappoint when only fourth at Windsor.

A closer look at the form suggests that perhaps it was a better race than it first appeared. The winner, Master Apprentice, was raised in class next time while the runner-up won at Newbury and the third is entered in the Dante Stakes at York. Dannyday has quite a rounded action so will appreciate any give in the ground at Pontefract and has the assistance of Ryan Moore in the saddle.

Stoute and Moore also team up with Gothic in the day’s feature event at 4.00. He is closely matched with Astronereus on Ascot form last season and both horses look capable of winning decent handicaps this season. Astronereus did not quite deliver as much as was promised for Amanda Perrett as a three-year-old but starts the season on a fair mark. Perrett did send out a rare first-time-out winner recently so perhaps this one can be another.

For my final selection on the card I am siding with Richard Hannon’s Thofa in the fillies’ maiden at 4.30. She ran well when finishing a close third at Newmarket and maiden races from HQ usually pay to follow. The one I fear most is Richard Fahey’s Bonds Choice who ran really well at York on her latest start. Midnight Dance attracted significant support on her second outing last season for Ralph Beckett so she could be one to keep an eye on.

Dannyday 2.30 @15-8 Bet365

Astronereus 4.00 @3-1 Bet365

Tohfa 4.30 @5-2 Betfair

Lingfield Winter Derby Trial day preview

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It is Winter Derby Trial day at Lingfield on Saturday with a fine supporting card. The action starts at 1.15 with eight races including the valuable Ladbrokes Handicap and the Listed Cleves Stakes.

Ryan Moore is in attendance, mainly to ride Grandeur in the big race but he is also certain to have his supporters on Nigel’s Destiny in the opening race at 1.15. The lightly-raced four-year-old will be having only the seventh race of his career and could be one to follow this season. He is up against some in-form opponents here including Presumido and Until Midnight. They won last time out at Kempton and Chelmsford respectively but I am going to go for Franco’s Secret.

Peter Hedger’s gelding has improved steadily in recent months and showed an electric turn of foot to win here last time. Charles Bishop has ridden him in each of his starts to date and will be planning to arrive fast and late again here.

I am a big fan of Andrew Balding’s Intransigent who went from strength to strength last season. He seems equally effective at six and seven furlongs and starts his new campaign in the Listed race at 1.45. My only concern is that he seems a better horse in the autumn and winter and may not quite be at his peak at present. Foxtrot Romeo was runner-up in the Irish 2000 Guineas in 2012 and recorded his first win since at Wolverhampton in November. Marco Botti may have finally unlocked the key to the son of Danehill Dancer and he just gets the vote.

The Ladbrokes Handicap looks like a minefield for punters with various lines of form. The key to the race could be the form of Shyron’s recent victory when he beat Grey Mirage, Brave Echo, Brigliadoro, Related and Firmdecisions here. Having watched the re-run several times, I see no real reason to think that the placings should be any different here. I would expect Related to finish closer but Shyron can confirm the form.

Godolphin are mopping up the maiden races on the all-weather tracks and Chorus Of Lies could be another winner for them at 2.50. He showed plenty of potential on turf last winter and has only Balding’s Opera Lad to fear, a promising third on his racecourse debut.

In the Winter Derby Trial, I am reluctant to oppose Grandeur who has done us a few good turns in the past. He won this race last season but was beaten by the draw in the Winter Derby. He faces some useful opponents including course specialist Maverick Wave and the promising Cloudscape. The latter could be one to follow this season but I am siding with another Botti runner in Grendisar. He does not always find as much off the bridle as appears likely but he is ultra-consistent and could just take this if Grandeur is a little rusty.

Franco’s Secret 1.15 Lingfield @4-1 Betfair

Foxtrot Romeo 1.45 Lingfield @6-1 Bet365

Shyron 2.15 Lingfield @7-2 William Hill

Chorus Of Lies 2.50 Lingfield @11-4 Bet365

Grendisar 3.25 Lingfield @5-1 Betfair

Ryan Repeats at PGA Tour’s CIMB Classic

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Ryan Moore successfully defended his CIMB Classic title in the PGA Tour’s Malaysia stopover last week, shooting a final round five under 67 to win by three from Gary Woodland, and the highest ranked player in the field, Sergio Garcia.

Moore’s fourth PGA Tour win makes him the first player to successfully defend a title since Tiger Woods achieved it at the Arnold Palmer Invitation in 2012/13.

The 31 year old mixed eight birdies and three bogeys on route to the win, withstanding a final round challenge from familiar foe Gary Woodland.  Woodland finished runner up here last year (losing in a playoff to Moore) and again mounted a strong late challenge, but missed puts on 16 and 18 prevented him from putting serious pressure on Moore.

Third round leader Kevin Na saw his challenge fade at the 17th, after burning chances throughout the final round after a rapid start, Na put his tee shot on the 17th into a plan tree and couldn’t recover.  South Korea’s Bae Sang-moon (69) was tied for fifth with 21-year-old Australian Cameron Smith (68).  Smith has huge raps on him as a young player to watch; his week proved the undoubted potential.

FedEx Cup winner, Billy Horschel, finished tied for 37th.

Two events this week, one PGA Tour, one WGC.

Sanderson Farms Championship

The PGA Tour takes a reduced field to the Country Club of Jackson, a 7,354 yards, par 72 course founded in 1914.  Missing the top 50 in the Official World Golf Rankings (they’ll play in Shanghai) the event offers up a lower than norm 300 FedEx Cut points.  Without the big names the tournament again becomes one of FedEx Cup priority.  Players will be chasing cheap points and this season’s winners Robert Streb and Ben Martin will be looking to pull away from the pack.

The field is a true lucky dip of players.  Aside from the two above (Martin is the highest ranked player at 57), Padraig Harrington, Woody Austin (as last years winner), and John Daly are the main draw cards.  That’s quite saddening.

Predictions

Stay clear of this one.  It’s too tough to pick a PGA Tour winner at the best of times, let alone a limited field.  It might be quite tricky to find a bookie taking it on too.  But if you have to, consider:

Nicholas Thompson ($101), Danny Lee ($61), William McGirt ($56) or Charles Howell III ($36) all at bet365.

WGC HSBC Championship

The spotlight on Asia continues during the Sheshan International GC (West) hosted World Golf Championship event starting on the 6th of November.  Tiger Woods once called the course “the crowning jewel of all of Asian golf”, so it’s only fitting that only the top 50 players in the World make the trip.  Some will use the tournament to mark their returns to competitive golf for the first time since the FedEx Cup concluded.  Four of the top six golfers, and 12 of the top 20 join the field in competing for 550 FedEx Cup points and a ton of money.

Picking a winner here is equally tough given the quality in the field.  In fact, most of the odds I’ve seen simply list the world rankings and odds in descending order.  For example, Adam Scott, Sergio Garcia, and Justin Rose are the favourites; matching their World rankings.

Others to Watch

Jordan Speith – $29 – Unibet

Rickie Fowler – $21 – Luxbet

Thorbjorn Olesen – $71 – bet365

Adelaide 6-1 for QE Stakes after Cox Plate win

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Trainer Chris Waller may have been disappointed with the performances of his three runners in Saturday’s Cox Plate but he did pick up a fine consolation prize. The brilliant winner Adelaide now joins his stable from Irish trainer Aidan O’Brien with the Queen Elizabeth Stakes as his immediate target.

Adelaide had been popular with punters last week at odds as high as 14-1 but confidence had evaporated following his wide draw in barrier 13. The coolest man on the racecourse was jockey Ryan Moore who settled the colt in last place before passing his rivals one-by-one down the back straight.

He still had plenty of work to do turning for home with The Cleaner having set a decent pace but Adelaide was driven up on the wide outside to score by a short-neck from the favourite Fawkner. Silent Achiever was just a short-head away in third with Side Glance, Foreteller and Happy Trails breathing down their necks.

Adelaide has been a progressive three-year-old this season, winning the Group 3 Gallinule Stakes at the Curragh in May before finishing runner-up to Eagle Top at Royal Ascot. O’Brien has sent the son of Galileo on his travels since, finishing second at Belmont before winning the Grade 1 Secretariat Stakes at Arlington. He was unlucky in running when third to Ectot at Longchamp in the Prix Niel last time out.

O’Brien declared the $3million Cox Plate to be the colt’s target due to his liking for fast ground. The alternative had been the Prix de L’Arc de Triomphe which is often run on soft ground in Paris. His decision has been fully vindicated and he is now set to clash with the likes of Just A Way and Lucia Valentina in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes. Bet365 quote Adelaide at 6-1 in their futures market.

Fawkner lost nothing in defeat and remains 10-1 for the Melbourne Cup next month. New Zealander Silent Achiever stormed home in third and is generally 25-1 for Flemington for which Japan’s Admire Rakti remains favourite at 4-1. The winning time of 2.03.76 was just two tenths of a second outside of Might And Power’s record set in 1998. It is the first time that a European trained horse has won the Cox Plate and the attention now switches to the Melbourne Cup.

O’Brien does not have a runner this year but Ryan Moore has a leading chance on the German-trained Protectionist while confidence is growing behind Irish hope Mutual Regard. Godolphin will also attempt to end their Cup hoodoo when they run both Cavalryman and Willing Foe on November 4th.

Nottingham Wednesday Preview

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After a hectic weekend of top quality racing we are back to the bread and butter at Nottingham on Wednesday. As good as it was to see Treve go into the history books with her back-to-back Arc success, I have to say that I was less than impressed with the Japanese riders. You would have thought that they would know how to ride the race after many years of trying but they gave their mounts no chance by holding them up way out the back.

The more humble offerings at Nottingham get under way at 2.20 with a maiden race which should go the way of Luca Cumani and Andrea Atzeni. Spiriting ran a good race on his second start when second at Yarmouth behind Bartel. Firmament finished a fair way back in fourth that day and ran a good race on Monday to finish second to the useful Master Apprentice. A repeat of that form would make Spiriting very hard to beat here.

The second race is a very competitive nursery but there is no stopping David O’Meara at the moment. His Group 1 win in the Prix de L’Abbaye on Sunday with Move In Time was the icing on the cake for a memorable season. He runs Snow Cloud who showed enormous improvement after a lengthy absence to beat Compton River at Redcar. The jockey never had to resort to the whip that day so there should be plenty more to come. The main danger could be the top weight Ivors Rebel who has been keeping much better company.

The best bet on the card could be the progressive Black Granite in the nine furlong nursery at 4.25. Jeremy Noseda’s gelding looked very moderate earlier in the season but the application of a visor has transformed him. A game victory at Salisbury was followed by an emphatic success at Newmarket. Normally I would hesitate at a 9lbs rise in the weights but there aren’t that many two-year-olds that stay beyond a mile and he is certainly one of them.

The final three races look virtually impossible but I am going to have a small interest in Golden Spear in the 4.25. He is yet to race beyond a mile but his last couple of runs suggest that he is crying out for it. The danger is probably Tercel who is on a very fair mark for Sir Michael Stoute and looked set to win at Newbury last time. He didn’t look the easiest of rides that day and Ryan Moore will probably be looking to deliver him with a late rattle.

Spiriting 2.20 @Bet365

Snow Cloud 2.50 @5-1 Bet365

Black Granite 4.25 @11-4 Bet365

Golden Spear 5.25 @11-1 Coral

Ascot Friday Preview

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Ascot stages a decent card on Friday to whet the appetite for a big racing weekend on the turf.

Michael Wigham does well with his small string and Charter can follow up his recent Newmarket victory in the opening race. He was given a patient ride by Jim Crowley and ran on late to win over six furlongs that day but has form over seven. A 4lb rise may not be sufficient to prevent a follow up Crowley can navigate his way through this large field.

Ryan Moore rode a perfect race on Consign to get up in the dying strides over a mile last time out and he teams up with Jeremy Noseda’s gelding in the 2.30 race. He has to give weight to all of his rivals here but won at the corresponding meeting last year. Moore will try to keep him covered up again here. Kempton winner Compton has claims, as does Secret Art who was second in a good handicap at the same venue but is not the most reliable horse in training.

Stefanie Hofer had a nightmare ride on Telmeyd on Shergar Cup day when he reared leaving the stalls, giving his rivals a six-lengths advantage. To his credit, the horse made up much of the ground before the effort took its toll and he finished fourth. He was behind Golden Steps that day but I would be surprised if he cannot turn the tables on Friday. Ryan Moore has a fine book of rides and this will be one of his most fancied.

The feature race is the Noel Murless Stakes over the St Leger distance. On form, Leger fifth Marzocco should win this for John Gosden and William Buick. He has run creditably all season including when an unlucky third in the Queen’s Vase at Royal Ascot. He holds Big Orange on that form but a bigger danger may come from Mizzou, trained by Luca Cumani. He looked to be going nowhere at Haydock last time but stayed on relentlessly to win off a mark of 89. He has a lot more to do here but could still be improving.

Above The Rest looks worth following in the fifth race after making all to win at Newbury. He is up 5lbs but had the field in trouble a furlong from home and does not look harshly treated with 8st 12lb. Ryan Moore will again be popular in the last race on Alan King’s Fire Fighter but I’m just siding with Jelly Fish and Amanda Perrett. He is not the quickest horse to carry the Abdullah silks by any means but was beaten by a rapidly improving horse in Moscato last time out.

Charter 2.00 @11-2 Coral

Consign 2.30 @8-1 Coral

Telmeyd 3.05 @2-1 Ladbrokes

Marzocco 3.40 @13-8 Coral

Above The Rest 4.15 @6-1 Ladbrokes

Jelly Fish 4.50 @7-2 Bet365