Racing Chat - Friday 27th September

[The Brigadier]

Newmarket 1.50

Seven run in the opener of the three day Cambridgeshire meeting at Newmarket on the Rowley Mile course. There’s plenty of rain around and I fully expect the ground to be on the easy side for day one and the listed Rosemary Stakes for fillies and mares run over a mile. Best in at the weights here is Jane Chapple-Hyam’s Rolica who is 3lb better off with the penalised Spiritual on their Sandown form in July for 2L. There shouldn’t be much between them but preference is for the Ryan Moore ridden David Menuisier trained Sirona who has plenty of form with soft in the description and only went down by a short neck in a listed contest at Longchamp at the beginning of the month. A reproduction of that effort should put her right in the mix here and she’s the selection.

 

SIRONA 1 point win @ 10/3 BetVictor

 

Newmarket 2.25

A field of eight have declared for the 1M 4F Group 3 Princess Royal Al Basti Equiworld, Dubai Stakes for fillies and mares. Best in at the weights is the Harry Charlton trained Time Lock who always runs well on the Rowley Mile course here with form figures of 112 with one of the wins coming in this very race a year ago when coasting home by 4 1/4L. That win was gained on fast ground by the Juddmonte owned five-year-old mare who has also got soft ground form and with Oisin Murphy booked looks the one to be with here with the easy ground likely to be against the likes of Divina Grace and Mistral Star who have both been pulled out twice in their careers when the ground was too soft.

 

TIME LOCK 1 point win @ 9/4 bet365

 

Newmarket 3.00

The 7F Group 2 Rockfel Stakes is next up for two-year-old fillies and we have a very warm favourite in the shape of the Sir Michael Stoute trained Formal who’s looked smart on her two victories so far. Impressive on her debut on good to firm ground she showed she can handle easier conditions when again hosing up on officially soft ground at Leicester 47 days later, landing the odds laid on her by a comfortable 2 1/2L. With Ryan Moore required for Aidan O’Brien’s Ecstatic William Buick comes in for the ride. Best of the two O’Brien fillies may well be the aforementioned Ecstatic who lost any real chance she had when sitting down in the stalls as they opened in the Group 2 May Hill Stakes at Doncaster and finishing fifth (of 9) beaten 4 1/4l. She’s better than that. With Sir Michael retiring at the end of the season it would be great to see his smart filly Formal win this and I fully expect her to.

 

FORMAL 1 point win @ 6/4 bet365

 

Newmarket 3.35

The Group 2 1M Al Basti Equiworld, Dubai Joel Stakes has attracted just six runners and with just 4lb officially covering the sextet has an open look about it. Ease in the ground is not ideal for the John & Thady Gosden runner Lead Artist who was pulled out at Goodwood recently on account of the soft ground. The same owners Task Force has yet to encounter easy ground whilst it can’t be softer enough for recent Group 2 Goodwood winner Ice Max who had the re-opposing Poker Face 1L back in second place and now 5lb better off as the former has to shoulder a 3lb penalty today. The horse that I am attracted to however is the current outsider of the field in the Roger Teal trained Dancing Gemini. Easily his best run this year came on soft ground over a mile, the same conditions as today’s when going down by just half a length in second place to Metropolitan in the French 2000 Guineas back in May. He may not have stayed when 6th in the Epsom Derby and the Coral Eclipse over 1M 4F and 1M 2F respectively and possibly found the ground against him when fifth to Lead Artist at Goodwood in the Thoroughbred Stakes. Back on his favoured ground and trip and with Tom Marquand in the plate for the first time he looks a value bet.

 

DANCING GEMINI 1 point win @ 7/1 bet365

[MCLARKE]

AW selection

Wolverhampton 7.00

INVINCIBLE AUAR