Flat Racing Saturday 9th

[cpo]

2.55 Newmarket Mirza 2pts win @ 11/1 BetFred As much as I like Pearl Ice, there has to be a doubt over whether he will be as effective on soft ground as he is by Ifraaj. That being said, he did handle good to soft conditions at Thirsk so it is likely he will handle it. He is definitely the one to beat if doing so. The one I do like in this race is proven on soft ground and should very much have conditions to suit him tomorrow. Mirza has 4 wins to his name, with 3 of them coming on ground described as good to soft or soft. He won on his return to action over 5f at Newbury off a mark of 91. He almost followed that up 3 days later at Pontefract but was just beaten by Seal Rock by a length. He finished down the field on his latest start over CD but was only 4 lengths behind the winner. That race over CD was in fact his 3^rd race in just over 2 weeks so it is likely we didn’t see the best of him. He has a month to get over those exertions and he looks to have a solid chance here. He races here off the same mark of 98 but I feel the ground will make a big difference for him tomorrow. Richard Hughes has been booked for the ride tomorrow, which is encouraging as he is 2 from 3 on the horse. Rae Guest doesn’t have the greatest of records at the track with just 2 winners from 20 runners but he shows a big level stakes profit so must have had a big priced winner here in the past. The yard aren’t exactly flying at the moment either with just one placed effort form 7 runners but they haven’t had any fancied horses running and it’s fair to say they have been running as their price would suggest. Mirza is undoubtedly one of the stable starts and hopefully he can do the business tomorrow. Another big positive with this one is that he likes to race up with the pace. Today at Newmarket it has paid to race at the front, and I expect this trend to continue tomorrow with more rain forecast. He could prove tough to peg back and ground he thrives in. 4.00 Newmarket Ermyn Lodge 0.5pt EW @ 28/1 Coral This horse has progressed into a very consistent staying handicapper and although this may by shorter than he wants, his record fresh cannot be ignored. In the last 3 years Ermyn Lodge’s record when returning from a break has been 1, 1 and 2. In 2009 he won a handicap off 60 at Kempton, in 2010 he won a handicap off 73 again at Kempton and then last year he finished 2^nd off 84 at Ascot. Since then he has progressed to a rating of 95 after finishing last season with a very impressive 2^nd in the Cesarewitch at Newmarket. It is likely that is the target for this year but he has to start somewhere. I have no doubts that trainer Pat Phelan will have this one ready first time up. He is ultra consistent and likes to front run which could definitely play to his strengths on energy sapping ground tomorrow. There are other runners that like to go from the front but Ermyn Lodge has proven stamina and I don’t think he would mind going a strong gallop right from the off. The race may well be set up for something coming from the back but as like today it has been very hard coming from the back of the field so hopefully it will be a similar story tomorrow. Ian Mongan takes the ride on this horse and he obviously gets on well with him having won on him twice in the past and ridden him more than any other jockey. 2.35 Chester Pravda Street 1pt EW @ 14/1 Coral Taking a chance here on a horse poorly drawn at Chester over 7f. Probably not worth getting too heavily involved with this one but I like his chances. He goes for in form Brian Ellison and ran a cracker last time out. He was entitled to need his return at Thirsk but he ran a good race in the Vicotria Cup last time out to finish 7^th. He had to race on the unflavoured side of the track and was prominent for most of the race unlike many of the horses that finished ahead of him. He eventually finished 2^nd of his little group but had no chance with the horses on the far side of the track. I thought that was a cracking run and if he can build on that and if he gets a little luck in running then I would expect him to run a good race here. The ground will not be a problem as his last 2 runs have come in soft conditions but the obvious stumbling block is his draw of 10. I wouldn’t say his well handicapped but he is certainly handicapped to make an impact having dead heated off this mark in the past. The fact he was so competitive in the Victoria Cup would also suggest he can be competitive off this mark of 85. He has been with Brian Ellison a while now but he looks to have improved a little since returning to action this year. Dr Koukash has his usual contingent and a couple of them look to have a great chance. Imperial Djay is a horse I like and he won at the track last time out but will find life tougher off his new mark. I expect they will go pretty quick up top with a few in here that like to front run. That could set it up for something coming from behind, which is where I expect my selection will have to make his challenge from. Much will depend on luck in running but if Pravda Street gets it, then he could run into the frame.

[BillyHills]

Flat Racing ~ Saturday 9th June 2.55 Newmarket: Fly London Southend To Barcelona Handicap (Class 2) (6f) If the favourite Pearl Ice acts on this ground he will be very hard to beat in a race that looks more competitive than it actually is. Irish Heartbeat and Mirza look the ones for the places and both will enjoy the surface. Selections: 3pts Pearl ice 5/2 BetVictor 1pt Irish Heartbeat 9/1 Stan James Full preview below; http://www.punterslounge.com/newmarket-betting--pearl-ice-looks-set-to-follow-up-for-barron-in-newmarket-sprint