We needed a bit of scrambling over the weekend to keep our heads above water! Although we didn’t pick a single race winner on Shergar Cup day, we did select Olivier Peslier (6-1) and Europe (2-1) in the jockey and team standings respectively.
It was a similar story in the US PGA Golf where Jim Furyk saved our bacon by sneaking into the frame at 40-1. It was the second major running that we have been grateful to the American after placing at 70-1 in the British Open.
The weekend went out with the remnants of Hurricane Bertha lashing much of Britain and the going is on the soft side across much of the UK. The forecast is for steady improvement through the week so we shouldn’t need to start thinking of the new jumps season just yet!
Nottingham stages an interesting card on Tuesday evening and I’ve dug out three selections. I was immediately drawn to Enlace in the two-year-old race at 5.55 after her narrow defeat in a big field at Newmarket last time. I could hardly believe her price of 13-8 at the time but she was only a stride away from landing the gamble. However, after careful consideration, I am opposing her with Ann Duffield’s promising colt George Dryden.
He won by six lengths at Pontefract first time out and this looks a good opportunity to make it 2/2. He strode away from modest rivals that day and has Enlace to beat but he could be well above average.
In the 6.55 I am going for 18-length Southwell scorer Dino Mite. The form on the all-weather is usually hardly worth the paper that it is written on but two of the vanquished horses in that race have since won comfortably. Admittedly they were only rated 60 so Dino Mite has a bit to do off 80 here but she could make her rating look very generous.
My final selection is Speed Hawk in the Conditions sprint race at 7.25. I’ve rarely seen such an out-of-sorts collection of sprinters as this. Robert Cowell saddles four and Speed Hawk is the only one of them that is still progressing. He beat a useful sort last time out at Bath. I am most fearful of Duke Of Firenze who has joined Cowell from Sir Michael Stoute’s yard. His profile suggests that he would like quicker ground and a race to put him straight but we shall see.
George Dryden 5.55 Nottingham
Dino Mite 6.55 Nottingham @9-2 Paddy Power
Speed Hawk 7.25 Nottingham @9-2 Bet Victor
