Kempton 22/10/08

[mattmcandrew]

8:20 Pretty decent handicap. Otaared is well fancied by many because he seems progressive, bred by Darley. At the price, it's a no go zone for me and there are a few interesting ones to chose from anyway. You'd have to give Kirk Michael a chance if repeating the form shown before his lengthy break. He won in an absolute canter in a fairly poor Wolverhampton maiden, but his margin and ease of victory suggests he really enjoyed the surface. Transfer has been pretty dismal since entering handicap company. He won an average maiden comfortably and put up two other decent displays on the polytrack. All three handicaps since have been on turf and he may just be unsuited by it. Can never really tell until he races in an AW handicap... So probably best watched. Baby Houseman drops back to 7f in this and it should suit him nicely. Definitely a leading contender. There are probably few more I could make a claim for, including Jeninsky and Hinton Admiral who is my selection, as he looked like returning to form last time out on unfavoured ground where he finished like a train, he's at a good mark by his standards and should enjoy a return to the surface where he has won two from two including the Spring Cup at Lingfield in March 2007. Good horse, good price.