Tag: Sir Graham Wade

Glorious Goodwood Tuesday Preview

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Yeager (20-1) gave us a timely boost on Saturday ahead of Glorious Goodwood. It was nice to get one on the board on a very tricky card. Trading Leather never looked like beating Novellist in the King George but he clung on to second place and that’s probably about as good as he is. It’s going to take a good horse to lower Novellist’s colours in the Arc.

Goodwood kicks off with a cracking good handicap over a mile and a quarter. I am a fan of Nabucco but I’m put off by his wide draw here. Fast Or Free has been taken out of several big handicaps at the last minute, presumably to wait for a bit of give in the ground. Haggas produced a nice horse to win first time out at York on Saturday so fitness shouldn’t be a problem. The trip is a bit further than he’s been before but he could be a group horse disguised as a handicapper and makes some appeal at 7-1.

The Molecomb Stakes looks a bit like the Windsor Palace Stakes revisited with four of that field renewing rivalry. Kevin Ryan’s Sleeper King was in front of his group for a long way at Ascot and I can see him hurtling down the hill here. Supplicant and Anticipated have obvious claims but it’s worth taking a punt at 12-1 that Sleeper King can hold on.

My old friend Aljamaaheer simply has to be my first day banker in the Lennox Stakes. He deservedly got his head in front here in the Summer Mile but this step back to seven furlongs won’t trouble him. He always travels well but doesn’t quite find as much as you would expect so Hanagan will be delivering his challenge as late as possible. If you can get the 11-4 I think that is a rattling good price for a class horse.

The mile and three quarter handicap that closes the TV coverage on day 1 features a host of familiar names. At the start of the season I thought Sir Graham Wade would make a Cup horse but he’s been very disappointing. He gets the blinkers fitted tomorrow for the first time and they should help Franny Norton to get a bit more out of him.

The Johnston horses are a law unto themselves and I have just about given up trying to figure them out. They run every week and vary between brilliant and average, Galician being a case in point at Ascot on Saturday. Oriental Fox looked set to win the slowly run Northumberland Plate but you could tell that his jockey was praying for the line and he got pipped by Tominator. I’m probably going to regret this but I’ll give the grey one more chance as he is twice the price of his stable companion.

Fast Or Free 7-1 Boylesports
Sleeper King 12-1 Ladbrokes
Aljamaaheer (NAP) 11-4 Coral
Sir Graham Wade 9-1 Betfair

York Dante Meeting Day 3 Preview May 17th

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The third and final day of the meeting features the Yorkshire Cup. I have gone through this race several times and find it impossible to support any of the runners with any confidence. I have been following Sir Graham Wade’s progress with interest and it may be that he just needed his first couple of outings to put him right. The well-travelled Cavalryman and Joshua Tree have obvious claims and you cannot rule out Royal Diamond on his best form. The stayers division does look wide open this season, a point underlined by Mount Athos being made favourite for the Ascot Gold Cup after winning an egg and spoon race at Chester last week. A little each-way on Sir Graham Wade is the selection.

The supporting card kicks off with a quick reappearance for five-length Chester winner Quatuor. Tom Dascombe’s filly had the race won before the home turn that day and it is going to take a very speedy sort to lower her colours. Another winner on the Roodeye was Sir Michael Stoute’s Sir John Hawkwood and it is highly unusual for the Newmarket trainer to run his horses quickly under a penalty. Ryan Moore rode Chester to perfection that day, kicking his horse in the belly to get over from a wide draw and then staying close to the pace before delivering his effort on the turn. His style of victory was not particularly impressive but the opposition does not look particularly strong.

*Incidentally, for those who like to know these things, Sir John Hawkwood was an English-born mercenary who was active in 14th century Italy, amassing a fortune in land and gold. Sir Graham Wade is named after a musicologist known for his biographies.

Stoute produced Liber Nauticus to win the Musidora on Wednesday and has another smart filly in Pavlosk who won on her debut at Newbury. She is taken to take the step up to Listed class in her stride and the stable can round off a successful day with Rye House in the 4.25. The Dansili colt only raced three times as a three-year-old and has not been kept in training for the good of his health.

Over at Newbury it is worth keeping an eye out for Richard Hannon’s Ninjago. He was held up well off the pace at Ascot on his seasonal debut but moved effortlessly up to the leaders and won with plenty in hand. I expect him to take this Listed contest on the way to better things. Another horse that may not have finished winning is Luca Cumani’s Rockalong who goes for a four-timer over at Newmarket.

Quatuor 1.45 York 11-4 Paddy Power
Sir John Hawkwood 2.15 York 5-2 William Hill
Sir Graham Wade 2.45 York (each-way) 9-1 Bet Victor
Pavlosk (nb) 5-2 Paddy Power
Rye House 3-1 William Hill

Ninjago (NAP) Newbury 13-8 Paddy Power
Rockalong Newmarket 9-4 Ladbrokes

April 10th Nottingham Preview

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The flat racing turf season has started, albeit with a bit of a whimper. The Lincoln Handicap was postponed and then provided a 20-1 winner to kick-off the so-called “Spring Double” completed by Aurora’s Encore at 66-1 in the Grand National! I don’t think even Mystic Meg will have come up with those two!

The National Hunt season still has Punchestown and the Betfred Gold Cup to come but the big flat stables are starting to roll out some quality animals this week. A midweek Nottingham card wouldn’t normally provide much excitement but there are some genuine group class horses in action on Wednesday.

The first of them is Spirit Quartz in the 3.10. The five-year-old son of Invincible Spirit was second to Aussie raider Ortensia in both the Group 2 King George Stakes and the Group 1 Nunthorpe Stakes last summer. On the latter occasion he had Humidor only a length and a half behind him and that horse re-opposes tomorrow. Spirit Quartz finished his season when stuck in the mud at Longchamp, this time with Humidor in front of him. I am prepared to overlook that as being a race too many. What is slightly worrying is that Robert Cowell’s horse has already been unplaced twice at Meydan in March behind Shea Shea. Hopefully the surface just didn’t suit him and he can return to his best now he is back on turf.

Another horse that I have been looking forward to is Mark Johnston’s Sir Graham Wade who is unleashed in the 3.40. He won six races last season, winning his first handicap off a mark of 80 and closing his campaign with victory in a Listed race in France. He won on everything from firm to heavy, including the Mallard Stakes at Doncaster. Kieren Fallon rode him that day and somehow managed to win cleverly in a slowly run race where four lengths covered all 12 runners at the finish. Usually that is the sign of a poor race but Sir Graham Wade won despite the slow pace and has already proved that he is better than a handicapper. Not surprisingly, Johnston is thinking along the lines of the Cup races this year so it will be a disappointment if he can’t win tomorrow.

In the 4.40 race, the word from Ed Dunlop’s stable is that Singersongwriter is better than a handicapper. Bet365 went 7-4 briefly on Tuesday but that was taken before the ink had dried and he is now showing at 10-11. That might seem a bit skinny for his first run of the season under top weight but only time will tell.

The meeting should begin with an odds-on win for Cumani and Fallon with Elhaarne and jockey Ryan Moore has an interesting book of rides. Andrew Balding also has a couple of interesting runners in handicaps with Benzanno (4.10) and Debdebdeb (5.10). It looks a well above average card for Nottingham and will be worth studying as a source of future winners.

Spirit Quartz Evens Bet365
Sir Graham Wade 6-4 William Hill
Singersongwriter 10-11 Bet365