Hi all,
Inside today’s main piece I look back at Weekend’s action. Plus, there’s a quick look at today’s feature race at Hamilton.
Weekend Review
There was Group 1’s action this weekend in Ireland and France. More on both those races later.
In Britain it was low key with the Sherger Cup taking centre stage. Although there was an interesting juvenile Group 3 contest at Newmarket on Saturday.
Shergar Cup: The women have the hunger to win
My two main Shergar Cup fancies: The Very Man & Dark Trooper both won their respective races. Of course, I was delighted they both won but I stand by the comments I made in Saturday’s column that both were not being offered at value odds.
Value doesn’t put food on the table but long term you won’t win at this game if you’re not backing horses better than their true odds.
As I predicted the Women’s team won the Cup. The Women are always up for this event and really want to win. That’s not something you can say about the other participants.
Hollie Doyle won the individual title. Taking the Silver Saddle with two wins and a short head second.
Saffie Osborne and Hollie Doyle provided racegoers and TV viewers with the finish of the day with Scampi just prevailing over a rallying Wootton’Sun in the Shergar Cup Challenge (Handicap). The winner is in the Ebor Handicap and should go well in that valuable handicap. The runner-up has a good battling attitude at the finish amd can win again.
Fallen Angel
Newmarket’s Group 3 Sweet Solera Stakes doesn’t have a great recent record when it comes to identifying future stars. However, I think we had an above average winner of this year’s race in Fallen Angel.
Fallen Angel proved too strong at the finish for runner-up Soprano to win by 3 lengths. She’s got an entry in next month’s Group 1 Moyglare Stakes at the Curragh. However, she could also head to Doncaster for the Group 2 May Hill Stakes. A race the trainer won with Laurens in 2017.
Going the right way, the winner could be a serious 1,000 Guineas contender if she was to win a race like the May Hill.
In the process of winning Saturday’s race, she also paid a handsome compliment to Shuwari who had beaten her in a Sandown Listed race last time.
Runner-up Soprano didn’t stay the 7f as strongly as the winner and she’s likely to be dropped back to 6f for her next start.
Bucanero Fuerte Takes Phoenix
Bucanero Fuerte was far too good for his rivals in the Group 1 Phoenix Stakes. He ran out a 4 length winner from the filly Porta Fortuna with the 13/8 favourite Unquestionable a disappointing fourth. It was the best juvenile performance of the season so far. As the colt bossed the race from a low way out.
He was strong at the finish over 6f on Saturday and should be just as effective over an extra furlong. Softer ground will suit the winner and he must have a good chance if there’s ease in the ground in next month’s National Stakes (7f) over C&D. Now 3-3 at the Curragh he will likely face City Of Troy in the National Stakes.
The bookies cut Bucanero Fuerte to 12/1 for next year’s 2,000 Guineas on the back of his success here. There are mixed messages on pedigree as to whether he will stay a mile. One full brother won over the distance, but another won the Prix de l'Abbaye over 5f.
Punters thought Unquestionable who had finished a short head behind Bucanero Fuerte on previous start would reverse placings. It proved an incorrect assumption but there were possible mitigating circumstances for his below par run. The colt is said to have hit the stalls with his head at the start and I don’t think he looked comfortable afterwards.
Diego Velazquez
Aidan O’Brien might have seen Unquestionable underperform in the feature race. But the trainer unleashed yet another smart juvenile in the Diego Velazquez who won the maiden (7f) that opened Saturday’s Curragh card.
The superbly bred son of Frankel cost 2,400,000gns at the sales and you can see why. He was green in the early stages but really hit top gear inside the final furlong to run out a comfortable 4 ¾ length winner.
To be sent of 2/5 on his racecourse debut suggests connections think he’s got the potential to be high class. That may well prove the case and he’s bred to better over 1m+ as a 3-year-old.
Despite his undoubted promise. I don’t think he’s entitled to be shorter than Bucanero Fuerte in the betting for next year’s 2,000 Guineas on the back of one performance.
He’s also the 10/1 second favourite behind stablemate City Of Troy for next year’s Derby after Saturday’s win.
Prix Jacques le Marois; Inspiral Bounces Back
Sunday’s Group 1 race looked a cracker with plenty of depth to it. However, in the end last year’s winner Inspiral bounced back to winning ways and was returned at a rather generous 9/1 on the pari-mutuel.
Big Rock the 9/4 favourite set out to steal race from the front. However, he had no answer to the winners finishing thrust inside the final furlong. Softer ground would have suited the 3-year-old who had the betting of all rivals bar Inspiral. I thought he’d win but I wasn’t going to take anything less than 7/2 in this company and I wise not too.
Light Infantry runner-up 12 months ago ran well again to finish third.
Onesto was making a belated seasonal return and ran a very promising race to finish a 3 ½ length fourth. He was a winner over 1m 4f last season and runner-up in the Irish Champion Stakes (1m 2f) so a mile is very much on the short side for the colt. He looks set for a good autumn campaign with this run under his belt.
Back in fifth was Triple Time he had beaten Inspiral at Royal Ascot but couldn’t confirm that form. He had a good position chasing the leader and seemed to have no excuses.
I’m not sure the ground was as soft as the official going description. Indeed, French going descriptions should be taken with a pinch of salt. Looking at the time it looked good to soft at worst and close to good. Those sort of underfoot conditions suit Inspiral much better than the bog she faced last time behind Paddington at Goodwood.
Weekend punting verdict:
Two winners at The Shergar Cup. Plus, a nice bet on Bucanero Fuerte in the Phoenix Stakes made for a profitable Saturday. No fancy prices but a profit is a profit nonetheless and it was needed after a dire Goodwood.
Monday Preview
The race of the day is 1m 1f handicap (7:40) at Hamilton which has £12,885 on offer to the winner. To me it looks between the William Haggas trained Dubawi Warrior and the hat trick seeking Gainsbourg.
Dubai Warrior looked a notable improver when winning a Pontefract maiden 15 days ago. He’s open to further improvement on handicap debut and should be suited by the forecast soft ground.
Gainsbourg is up 8lb for a very easy win at Ayr 14 days ago but he’s on a real roll and while the ground is soft won’t be far away.
I can't really split the pair at at early odds but if Gainsbourg drifts on the day from his present 4/1 I could just favour him.
Good luck with your Monday bets.
John