Daily Racing Thread Friday 18th. June 2021

Friday's Meetings

Royal Ascot
Flat 7 Races 2:30-6:10p.m.
Market Rasen
N/H 8 Races 12:40-4:35p.m.
Redcar
Flat 8 Races 1:00-4:55p.m.
Down Royal
N/H 8 Races 1:20-5:10p.m.
Limerick(E)
Flat 8 Races 4:15-8:15p.m.
Newmarket(E)
Flat 7 Races 5:20-8:40p.m.
Goodwood(E)
Flat 7 Races 5:40-8:55p.m.

Racecards
At The Races
Racing Post
Sporting Life

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Good Luck

 

Royal Ascot

14,30 Prettiest 6/1 bet365
15,05 Gloucestershire 20/1 e/w Lads and Coral
15,40 Suesa 9/2
17,00 Belief 14/1 e/w six places Lads and Coral, Sky 10/1 seven places
17,35 Valyrian Steel 12/1 e/w Sky six places, others 10/1 five places
18,10 Boomshalaa 15/2 bet365, others 7/1

Good luck all.

 

Hello, everyone. Hope all are well and enjoying Royal Ascot – hats ’orrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrf, exchanging pleasantries with Princess Camilla, toasting the minor Royals with a glass of bubbly, and all that…

Just to say that my best advice of the entire meeting runs tomorrow namely BEHELD, what a lovely name for a filly by the way, in the Sandringham Handicap (5.00), cor blimey what an awful name for a race by the way – upsets my proletarian roots to the jolly core, I must say. This daughter of Frankel was a nice winner of her only race, at Newbury, as a 2YO and so far this term has finished a highly creditable runner-up (carried a penalty for that Royal Berkshire success on both occasions) on each of her 2 starts. On this her handicap bow Beheld will run off just 84 which I think is a generous assessment by the handicapper and would fully expect the old girl to go very close of the morrow – I certainly can’t see her finishing out of the places and granted normal luck (with both the draw and getting the old ‘splits’ in this 30 runner charge) I would expect Beheld to be challenging for admittance to the old winners enclosure.

Beheld is also wonderfully bred and hails from one of the oldest Juddmonte families. Not only is her sire Frankel, the dam was Group placed, and is herself a full sister to Showcasing (Group 2 winner and now a leading sire). Given this lineage a mark of 84 would appear hugely exploitable. Meanwhile, after a slow start to the campaign Mr Charlton’s yard is starting to come into form with 2 winners since last Friday. Like this one, team, and would most deffo recommend her in the Sandringham. At the time of writing 20/1 is available and the each-way places stretch to the first 6 home.

Oh and one other thing, while I’m on, Pym (following his sale for £62k) has, according to the RP database, now turned up at the barn of Oliver Greenall. Looks like he will make his bow for new connections in the not too distant future and it will be Fascinating, with a capital ‘F’, to see how he fares.

Good luck all.

 

Good choice @Sir Barney Chuckles, she’s in my Frankel/Ardad Each Way Lucky 31 tomorrow!

 

A better looking day for some bets than yesterday's minefield.

To kick things off I am taking on Flotus in the opener. The Crisford filly made a striking debut and I suggested at the time that Royal Ascot would probably be her next port of call but didn't anticipate her being quite so short an ante-post favourite for the Albany.

Looking at Flotus's last race the immediate concern is that it was made on soft ground at Goodwood. Unless the rain falls that leaves her a very different surface to work on here. The subsequent form is also worrying me. Runner-up Prism was thumped more than thirteen lengths when last next time out, although she did rear in the stalls that day. The 5th home was awful next time and although the 4th was runner up is a modest race at Lingfield next time, she was hampered and could not get a clear run the day she ran behind Flotus.

One to have a recent form boost is Elliptic. Donnacha's daughter of Caravaggio was slowly away on debut but finished strongly to come through and win nicely. Off her feed and a non runner in May entry, it would be a month later before she ran again and she was beaten by Dr Zempf when favourite at the Curragh. However, the filly she beat on debut was Quick Suzy, who lived up to her name in landing the Queen Mary. If Elliptic had not run again after her debut I could have seen her starting favourite here as a filly who had won nicely from a subsequent Group 2 winner. She has been backed in since the Cromwell filly gave her form a more favourable slant.

In contrast the Dubawi filly Prettiest is more about potential. I backed her on debut purely on the chance that she could be a bit special being out of Alice Springs. She made all that day and found enough to repel her rivals. It was a race full of promise for the future but this is a big step up in a hurry. I would have thought that, given Aidan's record in the Albany, Prettiest might be better building more slowly to a higher level. Aidan has said that an injury to Contarelli Chapel had meant that they took Prettiest to the racecourse earlier than originally planned, in order that they could get a run into her before the Albany. That would suggest we can upgrade her effort last time but is she really ready for a Group 2 with several smart looking fillies lining up?

George Boughey has been firing in 2YO winners and he saddles three here. The acid test for the trainer will be when tackling the better races though. The fact that he runs three is perhaps an indication that they are of similar ability and you don't often have three with the ability to win a Group 2. His younsters hae not run well thus far at the meeting, so it's a pass from me on Oscula, Cachet and Hellomydarlin, who are rated 95, 90 and 88 respectively on Racing Post Ratings.

At bigger odds I feel Sandrine has been overlooked. Andrew Balding has already tasted success this week and his daughter of Bobby's Kitten made a winning denut at Kempton. She stayed on strongly that day to score by a length and winners have come from the race since. Most notable of those is Oscula, who was about two lengths in arrears of Sandrine in third place. I see no reason why Sandrine cannot improve and confirm the form, therefore it seems odd that Oscula is 7/1 and Sandrine 20/1. With five places available with Paddy Power I felt 16/1 EW Sandrine was worth an investment, if not necessarily the main bet.

Eve Lodge was third to my Queen Mary filly Get Ahead on debut and then won next time out. That second race didn't look strong and she was odds-on to win it. The ground was soft there and her winning RPR was only 5 lbs higher than her debut effort. Considered a bit unlucky on debut, Eve Lodge may do better on faster ground but the runner up from her winning race was beaten next time and I don't think Eve Lodge has shown enough to warrant being 8/1 in a tough looking race.

Hello You made a very taking debut for Ralph Beckett when romping home at Wolverhampton. I thought she had enough on to catch the filly who hit the front that day but she came with a rattle and powered past to score by more than six lengths in the end. A daughter of Invincible Spirit, Hello You cost 350,000 Euros and looks a good prospect. The runner-up White Jasmine was a disappointing fav when only 4th next time and was then out with the washing behind Quick Suzy in the Queen Mary but the 4th went on to win a race next time (Sunstrike, who reopposes)

Conclusion:-

It was hard not to be impressed by the way Hello You picked up at the furlong pole on her debut and she put good distance between herself and her rivals after that point. The subsequent form is questionable but when a horse is so dominant in a race, it is almost impossible for the form to work out strongly. I thought she was the one to be with but also felt Sandrine was overpriced.

2.30 Ascot Hello You 5/1 and Sandrine 16/1 EW (Five places Paddy Power)

Good luck to all.

 

Morning

3.05 Royal Ascot-Belloccio

Each Way @ 12-1 [Bet 365]

Is better than recent form suggests

 

What’s the ground? Until we know that then no point looking in my opinion.

 

I note that Oliver Greenall has just, earlier this week in fact, had another big money recruit join his stable – Zinc White for a whopping £310,000. Rated 87 on the Flat but the plan is, apparently, to send the 3YO son of Vadamos hurdling later in the year.

 

Sportinglife website says the going is SOFT.

 

19mm reported by 7.30am and more expected. Official description Soft

 

Sticking with my formula for the week so far I’m going for an each way L31 combining the 4 Frankel runners and 1 Ardad:

2.30 Eve Lodge (withdrawn from the Queen Mary due to the ground. She has won on soft and looks like the money is coming for her)
3.40 Fivethousandtoone - intriguing. 1st run of the year after a decent 2yo campaign and pitched straight in at the top level
4.20 Snow Lantern - showed a lot of promise and if she settles she should go close but the ground in an unknown
5.00 Beheld
5.35 Valyrian Steel

 

Really looking forward seeing german runner Novemba taking part in the Coronation Stakes. This bold front runner could be difficult to catch. Drawn in stall 1 is perfect for her style of racing.

 

A EW Patent for me today.
3.40 Dandalla
4.20 Patapova
5.35 Raymond Tusk
Have a great day all. All the best with yours

 

Latest Ascot non runners:

3:05 Gloucestershire (4)
3:40 Method (8)Diligent Harry (2)Supremacy (11)Sacred (20)Saint Lawrence (10)
4:20 Primo Bacio (11)
5:00 Mamba Wamba (8)Ready To Venture (9)Illykato (2)Rising Star (23)Lucid Dreamer (17)Beheld (24)Companionship (29)Riknnah (28)
5:35 Pirate King (7)Grand Bazaar (15)6:10 Get It (9)

Also Goodwood inspecting at 12.30 as they are Soft, Heavy in places already.

 

Mines now an E/W Lucky 15 with Beheld out of the 5.00

 

Having seen the rain on The Opening Show this morning, I can confidently predict that if the rain does not relent soon, there will be no Royal Ascot this afternoon. With the ground already described as Soft and with puddles in areas, I will not be the only one not having a bet today.

 

Gloucestershire non runner, that money goes to

16,20 Potapova 12/1 e/w five places with WH and Sky, others four places.

 

Inspection at 12:45

 

1.28 that racing doesn’t go ahead today at Royal Ascot!!