Yarmouth 16/9

[Aykay1]

Sport	Horse Racing
Event	240 Yarmouth
Selection	Taazur (Each-Way)
Strength	5/10
Date	16/09/2008
Bookmaker/Price	Ladbrokes @ SP (Back)
Reasoning	Consistent in his career thus far, has been finishing strongly enough in his racing over sprint distances to osuggest 7f will be ok for him. Finished 2nd behind a well treated winmner last time, with the top 2 coming clear. Down into class 4 from class 2 should help and the stables horses are going well enough with Johnstons runners this week finishing 8132323 so far.

[fintron]

Re: Yarmouth 16/9 2.40 Yarmouth Ten runners go to post for this class 4 nursery handicap over seven furlongs and the one that interests me is one from near the bottom of the handicap, Calahonda. Paul D’Arcy’s filly scored over course and distance in a class 6 maiden in August, pulling 4 lengths clear of the field. Very few of the runners have been seen since so its hard to assess the merit of that form, however, her form from her other three career runs suggests she could have a chance on her present rating of 72. On her debut at Wolverhampton she finished a two length second. Although her conqueror, Glorious Dreams, flopped on her next two runs, she was racing in listed races and so can be excused. What makes the form look interesting is that the third, The Magic of Rio, has proven effective since she’s started running in handicaps. After that Wolverhampton run she picked up a maiden of her own and has won two handicaps off 79 and then 84. Transcentral, fourth, and Hip Hooray, sixth, have also won since they have been sent handicapping too, albeit off marks lower than 72. Calahonda was then upped in trip to six furlongs for her next outing at Kempton. She finished a well beaten sixth with the field quite strung out at the finish, however, those that were infront have done the form no harm as 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 5th have all won since, admittedly in weaker races than this, but her sixth may not be as bad as it first seems. She made her handicap debut last time out at Newmarket but for the third consecutive race she was upped in trip and it may not have been in her favour. Racing over a mile she had every chance entering the final furlong but ended up finishing fourth, beaten by two and a half lengths and so today’s drop back to seven furlongs, over which she is proven, should suit. Even then though, there was no shame in her final placing, as the two immediately infront of her were rated 8 lbs superior and she was racing amonst several recent winners as even the 8th and 9th had gone into the race off the back of last time out wins. 6th has won since too. The one uncertainty facing her is the going, as she is yet to tackle anything softer than good, but she is by a triple Group (including 2000 Guineas) winner, Haafhd, won acted on soft, and so I’m prepared to have a little stab at the price. 8/1 Betfred EW