Thursday's Racing

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Today’s card looks a cracker.

Prime Defender is favourite but is too short in my book for such a competitive race. In saying that it is hard to pick one out to beat him but I just feel something will come and do him.

Bit of money around this morning for Declaration Of War and Alexander Castle…but its hard to see past Ravens Pass particularly given the stable form from yesterday.

Any strong fancies?
 
Some For Today

Good morning;

3 places yesterday but we look to build on that today with some much stronger info.

MOONQUAKE (1.30) is a horse that has impressed for sometime on the Racecourse Side - Across The Flat gallops and he was seen working to good effect behind Virtual a couple of weeks back. Last week he powered 4l clear of a nice unraced horse in City Stable (4.30 Ripon) and he looks talented enough to collect on his debut. The hype horse Amaakin is fit, but lacks the class of Moonquake who is strongly fancied to make a winning debut.

Aeroplane may not be the most straight forward of characters but he could be of each way value in the 3.10. Having worked nicely with Fat Boy and Spirit Of Sharjah last week he was seen in good form stretching 3l clear of Al Qasi in his most recent gallop on Friday. Whilst it was probably quick enough for Al Qasi there was no getting away from how impressive Aeroplane looked and at 20/1 you could be on for a nice each way touch today.

The maiden at 4.55 will be hot and Melodramatic will be hard to beat but Sir Michael Stoute has a nice filly in Alseraaj. Once raced last season when very weak she has blossomed over the winter months and worked very encouragingly along sides Laughter last week, with Mistress Greeley 2l behind them. On Tuesday she breezed up well with Perfect Stride (Best)(3.45 E/W) and Doctor Fremantle (5.30, too short a price) and the trio looked well within themselves with Tryst (1.30) in behind. She is around the 11/2 mark at present and has value each way against the fav.

PERFECT STRIDE looks the each way bet in the Craven and he was going best in the group mentioned above. previously he has been working sharper than Confront at home and looked in top order over the weekend striding out a length behind Galactic Star (improved). He is fit for this and will love the ground. Raven's Pass is in good form at home having worked averagely with Transcend recently, however he is a class horse, and Twice Over probably wants further. With this in mind a shock is not off the cards, but he looks booked for 3rd at least.

In the finale at 5.30 I can pass on two words. THE BETCHWORTH KID (E/W) is my main bet in the race and he has been going very well at home. He worked in top style over the weekend and powered 4l clear of House Of Lords who made an impressive debut at Wolverhampton last month. He is fit for this and like all Tobougg's he will relish the give in the ground. He has been crying out for this trip and is fancied each way at long odds. The other to note is Bronze Cannon who has been going nicely at home and he worked a few lengths behind the talented Virtual last Wednesday. He looked in good order breezing up for this on Tuesday morning and if handling the turf, he should run a decent race. Doctor Fremantle is well in himself but is very short at 5/4, and it wouldn't be the first time he had worked like a group horse at home and got beat.

Good Luck

Chris
 
Was it a dry night?

What did the times suggest the going was yesterday? Looked to have plenty of ease for the reported “good” ground.
 
"Strong fancies" at this most fascinating of meetings is a bit of an oxymoron. Out of all the years meetings its the one i watch the closest and bet least on (if at all)

That was helpful wasnt it? :D
 
There was a very definite head-wind yesterday, Gal, and it is expected to be even stronger today.

A strong east wind, not the ideal conditions for watching horse-racing anywhere but particularly unpleasant at HQ.
 
Sarin looks nicely treated in the novice handicap chase at the only meeting that counts (just for you, Warbler :D ).
 
Originally posted by Charlie D@Apr 17 2008, 11:17 AM
Like the look of Multidimentional
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Agreed. Looked unlucky in the Champion Stakes, so potentially well treated here as an unpenailised Group 1 winner (assuming he would have won the Champion Stakes with a clear passage). Pipedreamer is an improving handicapper whereas MultiD is a proven top drawer animal and it is significant he is kep in training.

I hope Cecil can double up with Twice Over in the Craven. Needs to make it a severe test of stamina to trouble the favourite though, although Gosden has issued a warning about Raven's Pass in the RP so maybe today is the day to get that one beat.

Up at Ripon my hard earned will be on Spice Route in the Conditions event. He ran well on debut this season considering he probably needed the run, and with conditions ideal should start to make the transition from handicapper.
 
Originally posted by Grasshopper@Apr 17 2008, 11:32 AM
Sarin looks nicely treated in the novice handicap chase at the only meeting that counts (just for you, Warbler :D ).
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Especially with the 5lb claim of the best young jockey in the UK!!!

What I find puzzling in that race is Nicholls chase debuts Ocean Du Moulin - why not wait till after May when he can carry novice status to next season? Or am I missing something here? Surely if he wins today he can't run in novice chases next season?
 
Originally posted by Galileo@Apr 17 2008, 12:25 PM
Was it a dry night?

What did the times suggest the going was yesterday? Looked to have plenty of ease for the reported “good” ground.
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Yes it was dry with a touch of frost, there is a slight wind and we have had a clear morning too. And having galloped on racecourse side the other day we all thought it was riding rather slow and was quite testing with a lot of ours getting more tired than expected in the ground.
 
Originally posted by clivex@Apr 17 2008, 11:41 AM
I hope Cecil can double up with Twice Over in the Craven
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:what:

I sort of liked that line...

Sounds a bit ...well...internet like
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A complete accident - honest!!! Probably wont stop Thommo using it were he to commentate on it !!! And then laughing uncontrollably at his own gag!
 
Thanks everyone and esp Chris for the info there. I'm not well enough again to go today worse luck [was supposed to be at a memorial bash in London anyway :^( ] but I'll be glued to my Betfair Radio. Nick Shiambouros is reporting from the paddock again, which was very helpful and informative yesterday.
 
Something a little more mundane ...

High Court Drama (8.10 Dundalk)

He seemed to get a fairly harsh handicap rating of 83 for winning an all-weather maiden. As it turned out, the second in that race, Fay Street, was short-headed for 2nd in his next race by a horse rated 97 with an Oxx newcomer winning by a few inches more. The horse in 6th is rated 77 which would pretty much tie in with the rating for the horse in 2nd, so that form has a solidish look. If you can believe that Fay Street ran a similar race both times, it would make High Court Drama about a stone ahead of the handicap. On breeding he should improve for the extra furlong - He was fit the last day though so you'd expect less than normal improvement on that front.

Having said all that, connections do not seem to be over-confident (not usual), there are at least a couple in the race that may be well handicapped and he may need to be as good as the generous interpretation in the previous paragraph to prevail. 7/1 with Paddy Power still seems reasonable enough - he is the racing post joint top rated and the form, however skimpy, is in the book.
 
Thanks fudge,clerk of the course said he has quickened up over night and that by tomorrow it would probably be good to firm! Went very steady again in the first division I thought judging it simply by the naked eye.
 
Originally posted by Galileo@Apr 17 2008, 11:25 AM


What did the times suggest the going was yesterday? Looked to have plenty of ease for the reported “good” ground.
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FWIW Gal, I have yesterdays going just inside my Good to Soft band


Wind and dry night would probably equal going no worse than Good today
 
Originally posted by Colin Phillips@Apr 17 2008, 11:29 AM
There was a very definite head-wind yesterday, Gal, and it is expected to be even stronger today.

A strong east wind, not the ideal conditions for watching horse-racing anywhere but particularly unpleasant at HQ.
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Nick Shiambouros on BF radio from HQ has reported a strong cross wind, c25mph, and says it's very cold there
 
Originally posted by Colin Phillips@Apr 17 2008, 12:16 PM
Is Nick your long lost nephew by any chance, Heads?
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LOL, hardly - but I do follow him a lot on BF, he knows his stuff inc breeding, and he's as good at NH as the flat [in c A/W] which is quite rare... Not doing so well today as yesterday so far, tho :(
 
That was an amazing run from Pigeon Island - that feller must be tough as old boots to do that after his last two outings, most horses would have crumpled at least for this season
 
That is two really impressive 2 year old performances in the last few days. Really quickened up there nicely.
 
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