A nice double yesterday with Graphic (9-4 advised) and Balder Succes (8-15) both winning without breaking sweat. If only it was always that simple! Much of the attention on Wednesday will be on Tony McCoy and his quest for winner number 4,000. Jonjo O’Neill is supplying him with a regular stream of winners so it would be no surprise to see him boot one home at Towcester.
I’m heading to Wolverhampton tomorrow in search of a short-priced double. William Haggas has enjoyed a tremendous season and has been picking up handicaps with monotonous regularity. Harris Tweed seems to have been on the racetrack for donkey’s years and his half-sister seems set to uphold the family tradition after romping to a seven-length success at Newmarket recently.
Tweed was having only her second start but bounded clear from a good field in the style of a prospective group horse. Despite being eased down, she still had seven lengths in hand over Duchess of Gazeley. A 6lbs penalty doesn’t even come close to reflecting her supremacy and she faces only two rivals on Thursday. With all due respect to Layl and Corton Lad, they should not be good enough to get her off the bridle.
Of course, Tweed’s odds will reflect her chance so I’m relying on Godolphin’s Musaddas to set up the double in the opening maiden race. Saeed bin Suroor trains this son of Exceed and Excel and this will be his fourth attempt at breaking his duck. To be fair, the gelding looked to have his race won at Windsor last time only for Modernstone to cut him down close home.
Musaddas didn’t help his cause by pulling like a train in the early stages but Silvestre de Sousa will know him better this time and the fact that he will always be on the turn here should help. He holds Arms on that form but may have most to fear from It Must Be Faith. This one has been runner-up twice and has been tried at six to eight furlongs. He ran well at Yarmouth last time and is certainly capable of making a race of it.
Musaddas
Tweed
