Racing Chat - Saturday 18th May

[The Brigadier]

Newbury 1.50

The first of four races shown by the ITV cameras is this 1M 4F Group 3 Sky Sports Racing Aston Park Stakes which features nine runners. The favourite is William Haggas’s Desert Hero who gave owners the King & Queen a royal winner at Royal Ascot last year in the King George V Handicap. He made a pleasing re-appearance when runner up to Okeechobee in the Group 3 Gordon Richards Stakes at Sandown over a trip short of his best and looks the one they all have to beat under Tom Marquand, his regular pilot. John & Thady Gosden’s Middle Earth is rated officially 5lb inferior to the selection but may well be the one to chase home Desert Hero.

 

DESERT HERO 1 point win @ 13/8 bet365

 

Newmarket 2.05

Just seven have declared for this 7F class 3 handicap for three year olds only. Bar the rag Venture Capital a case can be made for the other six runners. Love Billy Boy is up 4lb for his second at Newmarket at the Guineas meeting and can run well along with Ed Bethell’s handicap debutant Gressington who may have a nice mark here. The one that catches my eye however is the Roger Varian trained Dashing Darcey. He’s run well in two good handicaps this season especially last time when slowly away at Chester but running on to great effect to finish 2 1/4L third to the handicap snip Never So Brave. Off of the same mark he looks the one to be with under Aidan Keeley who claims a valuable 3lb and can be backed each way with an additional place.

 

DASHING DARCEY 1 point each way @ 9/2 bet365 1/5th 123

 

Newbury 2.25

A decent sized field of fourteen go to post for this listed Highclere Castle Gin Carnarvon Stakes run over a distance of 6F. Clive Cox’s James Delight steps up in grade having won handicaps at Pontefract and Newmarket but is only rated 3lb behind the top rated which is the William Haggas trained Relief Rally. She can go well but it’s the latter that looks the one they all have to beat. She’s always looked speed and patently failed to stay 7F when fourth in the Fred Darling Stakes at Newbury four weeks ago. That form has been boosted by the third Elmalka winning the 1000 Guineas since. The drop in trip looks ideal for Tom Marquand’s mount who won four of her five starts as a juvenile including the Group 2 6F Lowther Stakes in August and can give the Haggas & Marquand combo a double with Desert Hero in the previous race.

 

RELIEF RALLY 1 point win @ 4/1 BetVictor

 

Newmarket 2.40

A good sized field of fifteen run in this class 2 7F 0-105 handicap. Last year’s handicap sensation Quinault who rose a staggering 43lb in the weights during his seven victories is not out of this if straight enough having not been seen since Ascot last October. One horse who does look particularly well handicapped at the moment is the David O’Meara trained Darkness. A winner at the July course here last summer he can now race off of a mark 4lb lower. He weakened at the furlong pole in a decent handicap at the Guineas meeting here over a mile and the drop to 7F looks an excellent move. Jason Watson takes the mount and he appeals as a decent each way bet.

 

DARKNESS 1 point each way @ 16/1 William Hill 1/5th 1234

 

Newbury 3.00

A race always worth following over the next couple of months or so is the Trade Nation London Gold Cup Handicap which has produced many smart performers over the years. Aidan O’Brien won it last year and saddles Chantilly who won a handicap at Leopardstown in good style by 4 1/4L on his re-appearance. He has entries in the Irish Derby, the Eclipse and King Edward VII Stakes at Royal Ascot. The only other runner who has a future group entry is the John & Thady Gosden trained Fighter Command who is also entered in the King Edward VII Stakes. He’s an interesting runner making his handicap debut having won a Windsor maiden last month. One horse who looks particularly well handicapped is the Harry Charlton trained King’s Gambit. Harry’s father Roger has an excellent record in the race having won it four times in the last dozen years with smart sorts Al Kazeem, Time Test, Imperial Aviator and Headman. King’s Gambit had three runs as a juvenile and hasn’t been seen since a head runner up to Brackens Laugh in the Haynes, Hanson & Clark Novices’ Stakes here last September. He gave the winner 6lb that day who has won again since and was runner up in the Dee Stakes at Chester earlier tis month. He’s now rated 108 so an initial mark for King’s Gambit of 93 looks quite lenient. William Buick has been booked and he looks the one to be with.

 

KING’S GAMBIT 1 point win @ 9/2 bet365

 

Newmarket 3.15

A 1M class 3 handicap is up next featuring eleven runners. Andrew Balding’s Hopeful ran a blinder at Redcar last time when going down by 1/2L to Baryshnikov and a 2lb rise in the weights may not stop him from being competitive. Last year’s winner Repertoire is now 3lb higher but having teed up for this with a fourth at Ascot seventeen days ago can also be a player but the one to beat may turn out to be Ian Williams’s Aalto. An ex French performer he ran well to push Crack Shot to a length in a good handicap over course and distance at the Guineas meeting and with just a 2lb rise to contend with can go close. He is double engaged mind as he also has an entry at Newbury this afternoon. In his absence Hopeful would be the pick.

 

AALTO 1 point each way @ 13/2 Betfred 1/5th 1234

 

Newbury 3.35

The feature race of the day is the Group 1 Al Shaqab Lockinge Stakes run over the straight mile. The two principals are French challenger Big Rock and the five year old mare Inspiral. The latter had her rival back 1 1/4L back in second when winning the Prix Jacques Le Marois at Deauville last August and has won first time out before. She’s an obvious player if fully tuned up whilst the former Big Rock is a classy performer who has left his previous trainer Christopher Head to join Maurizio Guarnieri who’s failed to have a winner from his last twelve runners. He too hasn’t been seen this season but was scintillating when giving out a 6L beating to his rivals in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes on Champions Day at Ascot last October. He wouldn’t want the ground to dry out and with some question marks against the top two it maybe worth opposing the pair with a race fit horse who’s in terrific form. Roger Varian’s Charyn has won both starts this season at Doncaster and Sandown in the style of a smart performer and although on ratings he has 11lb and 7lb to find with the two principals looks decent each way value under Silvestre De Sousa.

 

CHARYN 1 point each way @ 9/2 bet365 1/5th 123

 

[calva decoy]

I noticed re looking through tomorrow's cards a new ( well new to me ) Newmarket based trainer H.Al.Jehani has a couple of Saturday entries 2.40 Newmarket - Make Me King & 8.20 Donny - Solar Acclaim & another from a couple of weeks back , Diego Dias I think was called Ireland based runs on Sunday 1.50 Naas - Lovely , could be 2 new ones to follow ?

Edited May 17 by calva decoy