Good morning all,
Yesterday’s selection Wentworth Falls drifted like a dog on a raft. Returned at 16/2. The 9-year-old didn’t run too badly in finishing 5th but the horse clearly wasn’t on a going day.
St Mark Can Eclipse Sandown Rivals
Much has been made of the of the small field for Saturday’s Coral Eclipse. As the likes of trainer David Menuisier have pointed its sad to see such a small number of declarations given the prize money on offer. However, in recent years the race has hardly been noted for big field sizes. In 2015 Golden Horn came up against four rivals. Indeed, you have to go back to 2009 for the last time the race saw a double figure field. Are there too many big races? Or is there a lack of Group 1 level quality 1m 2f /1m 4f horses? I suspect it’s a mixture of the two.
Ok, so the field size isn’t great but we are likely to see a French 2,000 Guineas & Derby wining colt in St Mark’s Basilica take on the older generation and the likes of Mishriff and hopefully Addeybb. Although the drying ground means that Wonderful Tonight will probably wait for the King George.
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Its not a race I will be having a bet in but I would be disappointed if St Mark’s Basilica wasn’t good enough to see off the older generation and although Mishriff is just shading race favouritism I think the Aidan O’Brien colt is likely to go off the market leader.
Haydock Angle
There have been seven running’s of Saturday’s Class 2 bet365 Handicap (2:05). Trainer Mark Johnson has saddled four of the seven winners – 4 winners from 13 runners 30% +0.8 7 placed 54% or 67% of the winners from 27% of the total runners. He’s got three entered at the five-day stage: Harlem Soul, Kondo Isami & Soapy Stevens and the first two look the most interesting.
Harlem Soul won on his handicap debut at Ripon last time. The son of Frankel is 4lb higher than for that success but is open to more improvement stepped up to 1m 6f. Silvestre De Sousa has been booked for the ride and if top weight Law Of The Sea stands his ground he will race off a nice light weight (8-3).
Kondo Isami a 1m 4f winner at York in May. He just got touched off at Doncaster on his first start at 1m 6f. He never got involved in the King George V Handicap at Royal Ascot. Finishing last of the 17 runners. That surely wasn’t his true running and the yards horse can often bounce back quickly from a poor run.
Keep those Mark Johnson runners onside.
Thursday Racing
There are seven race meetings across Britain & Ireland on Thursday. However, you have to wait for the last two races on Newbury’s evening card to find my two main Thursday fancies.
Newbury
8:25 – Top weight Mafia Power is only 1 win from 14 starts but he’s consistent enough and his ¾ length 2nd of 7 at Windsor two starts back suggested he can win a handicap like this off his present mark.
8:55 – Time Interval, a winner at Lingfield as a juvenile, has been slow to hit form this season but his 4 ½ length 4th of 9 at Haydock was a step in the right direction and he would have finished closer but for being hampered a furlong out. That was a 0-80 handicap and he drops into a 0-70 company today. Capable of going close off a workable mark. .
Thursday Selection:
Newbury
8:55 – Time Interval – 7/1 @ Coral & Ladbrokes
Good luck with your Thursday bets.
John
John Burke is the tipster behind the long standing Victor Value service you can join him here – https://victorvalue.uk