Friday's Meetings Newmarket Flat 7 Races 1:00-4:20p.m. Newbury Flat 8 Races 1:15-4:55p.m. York Flat 7 Races 1:40-4:50p.m. Leopardstown Flat 8 Races 2:00-5:30p.m. Kilbeggan(E) N/H 8 Races 4:10-7:55p.m. Aintree(E) N/H 7 Races 5:20-8:35p.m. Hamilton(E) Flat 7 Races 5:35-8:50 p.m. Racecards At The Races Racing Post Sporting Life Place a bet in the Virtual Betting shop here Good Luck
Over in Ireland there is a decent looking 7F 2YO maiden at Leopardstown. Celtic Times has been 2nd and 3rd and sets the standard for Jim Bolger but I was interested in Howth from the Aidan O'Brien yard. Howth is by Churchill and I cannot recall any of his progeny running from the Aidan O'Brien yard yet, in fact I only saw two of his progeny listed on the Racing Post website for the sire who has 149 foals of racing age. My thinking is that they will be keen to send out a winner for Churchill to get the ball rolling a couple of years after the sire's balls were rolling, so to speak. Howth is a half brother to Jessica Harrinton's Cayenne Pepper and the trainer has already had a few smart looking 2YO's this season. At 7/2 he was twice the price of favourite Celtic Times. The Bolger horse ran to 83 on RPR first time up, which is very fair but he only ranked 82 on RPR second time up when 3rd as an odds-on favourite. Celtic Times is up 2F in trip from his last run and the blinkers are reached for. That seems a bit of desperation to me and he looks a vulnerable favourite to me. 2.00 Leopardstown Howth 7/2 Hoping the Churchill dog is saying "Oh yes"
Donnacha has a runner in that same race (2.00 Leopardstown) which is also by Churchill Unconquerable ,currently 5/1 Might be worth considering
The gold cup (the fake one anyway) winner is out today in the 4.30 Leopardstown- Amhran Na Bhfiann . Think the step up in trip will work wonders. Come the gold cup the trip is always a question first time out but I would have him over Santiago out of the two
I like Time Intervall in the 1.00 at Newmarket. Won a maiden in really good style at the second attempt last term, then refused to settle in a nursery at Doncaster over 1 m last year. Now hooded, back over 7f and stable is getting going now. Kieran Shoemark who is 1-1 on this runner back in the saddle.
Snow Lantern swerved the 1000 Guineas in favour of an easier target in today's Michael Seely at York. Impressive last time, Snow Lantern beat the John Gosden favourite Derab that day and coincidentally the runner up also runs today at Newmarket but he is being kept low key for now in a Class 4 Novice. Obviously Snow Lantern may give the son of Sea The Stars a form boost and he would likely harden from an already shade of odds-on price. The Michael Seely has been won by some smart fillies but has little impact in terms of the winners going on to success in the Oaks, so it would be interesting to see where they take her next if she wins today. Well supported and generally about 5/4 it is a question as to whether Snow Lantern is a good thing today? I decided to take her on with a filly I backed last time. Love Is You was narrowly favourite for the Nell Gwyn last time but seemed outpaced before staying on well for third place. It was no shame to lack the pace of winner Sacred, as the Haggas filly was speedy last season. Sacred made no impact over the Guineas mile but runner up Saffron Beach went on to enjoy the step up from 7F and finished runner-up to Mother Earth in the Classic. Roger Charlton had been struggling for form but has been back in the winners lately and Love Is You looks sure to come forward and appreciate the extra furlong today. At 9/2 I thought she was a feasible alternative to Snow Lantern. If the Hannon filly is that bit special fair play to her. 2.10 York Love Is You 9/2
As mentioned earlier Derab stays in modest company for now and as a result is a short priced favourite today. Is this a sign that the colt perhaps needs more time before tackling better races though. At odds-on he makes little appeal with some well bred sorts from good stables in opposition. I liked the look of Fireworks from the Haggas stable. He made an eye-catching start when slowly away and green before finishing well for a never nearer 3rd on debut and I had expected he might be very short when we next saw him. The son of Kingman cost 850,000 Euros and it is typical of an expensive Haggas horse to be racing for four grand prize money but he could be very smart and I thought he was worth a play against Derab. The price has gone on him now and it looks a match on betting now but I still felt he was the play today. 3.20 Newmarket Fireworks
Today's Telly Terribles York 140 Crazyland 210 Primo Baccio ew 240 Irish Admiral 310 Sir Ron Priestley 340 Flaming Spear ew Nwb 225 Major Jumbo Good luck all ok
I took a long look at Nymphadora in the first; admittedly the first 5 characters drew me in, but also I do like 2yos who finish close up 5th or 6th of 12 or more runners on debut where the winner goes on to win again. A decent time is an added attraction. But, I weakened in the face of the vibes for the favourite
Nice one reebs, what an impressive turn of foot. Snow Lantern pulled her chance away but agree Princess, Levey should have let her stride on.
Howth was disappointing, looking short of pace before weakening. Churchill himself needed his debut and that's 0/3 for him as a sire. ironically Celtic Times drifted to 3/1 and just repelled the money horse. It may be that he won today without differing from his first two starts. Love Is You shaped with a chance but found nil and weakened. Roger Charlton is becoming a bit of a non-entity at the top levels of Racing and not a great compliment to Saffron Beach today. I felt Snow Lantern was worth opposing today. She has seemed a bit of a hype filly and I think we found out why she skipped the Guineas today. Despite all the bluster the trainer probably knew she wasn't ready yet. Too soon to write her off but she needs to prove herself now and I would think the Oaks is a total non-starter after that show today. You could imagine Derab drifting later after seeing Snow Lantern well beaten there. Primo Bacio fairly hacked up and it is amazing to think that she ran 4th in the Fred Darling as a 100/1 shot rated 79. She went up a chunk for that effort but winner Alcohol Free and the 2nd and 3rd had done nothing for the form since and this was quite a stunning performance for the Ed Walker filly. Well picked Reebok.