Flat Racing 23rd July

[fintron]

3.20 Newmarket Murbeh - 12/1 - contested a very tough 3 yo handicap here at the July meeting and finished not far off the winner, Coeus, when third. Track known to suit and there looks to be more improvement in the locker with only a handful of career starts to his name. 3.40 York Midnight Martini - 20/1 - Tadgh O'Shea rides for Tim Easterby. They paired up with Lost In Paris who won a nice little race at Musselburgh earlier in the year. Midnight Martini was fifth to Hoof It here earlier in the season and only beaten by two lengths. Could go well at a price. 3.50 Ascot Striking Spirit - 10/1 - ran an eyecatching race in the Buckingham Palace Stakes, faring best of those drawn on the far side as the 1-2 came from on the other side of the track. Was never placed to challenge when given terrible ride by Seb Sanders in Bunbury Cup and back at Ascot, drawn on the other side of the track today, better is expected. 4.30 Ascot Nathaniel - 15/2 - he needs to prove himself in top class company here but connections have shelled out £75k in order for him to take place in this event and it was hard not to be impressed with his C&D win in the King Edward Stakes at Royal Ascot. He's gonna have to be really useful to mow down an Arc Winner and the likes of Rewilding and St Nicholas Abbey, both of whom are G1 winners, but he's the value in the race at this price.

[Bathtime For Rupert]

Re: Flat Racing 23rd July 3.15 Ascot - 1.5pts e/w Aerial Acclaim @ 7/1 (Bet365) - BOG Really competitive mile handicap, but I feel that Clive Cox's Aerial Acclaim may well get his moment in the limelight with victory today. He's never actually won a race, the only runner in the field not to do so, but it will only be a matter of time, and I don't think he'll have to wait any longer than this afternoon. He's only had 4 runs to date, 2 coming as a 2yo last year, and two further runs this season. He looked a little bit green last year, despite showing evident promise when running in competitive races behind smart horses Pausanias and Moriarty. It was always likely he'd make a better 3yo, and was sent off at 6/4 at Chepstow on his third start, but found one horse 2l too strong. That horse reopposes today, in the shape of Stage Attraction. Aerial Acclaim had every chance until the death of the race, and considering Andrew Balding's charge had the fitness edge on the day, I'm very content that Aerial Acclaim can reverse that form with a 7lb swing in the weights. Last time out, Aerial Acclaim was slowly away at Sandown, but benefited from a tearaway leader to really finish well. He stayed on powerfully up the rail to be a very fast-finishing 3rd, 1 1/4l behind Chilled, the winner. He shaped as if the return to a mile would suit, and with a level break, may well have won the race. Today's race is over a mile, and I feel he can run them down. Albaasil is clearly a smart improver for powerful connections, but he's gone up another 10lbs, and I'm not convinced he'll be able to defy his new mark at the moment. I'm always a bit wary of collateral form, but he beat a horse last time by 3l who previously was further than that behind Aerial Acclaim at Sandown, and prior to that, was 1 1/2l too strong for Burj Hatta - a horse who was beaten 5l by Aerial Acclaim in Cox's first run of the season. There are obviously other threats in the race, but Aerial Acclaim has a light weight to carry, and I think he's one that they'll all have trouble beating.