Saturday's Meetings Goodwood Flat 7 Races 1:10-4:35p.m. Haydock Flat 7 Races 1:25-4:55p.m. Curragh Flat 8 Races 1:35-5:35p.m. York Flat 7 Races 1:40-5:15p.m. Musselburgh Flat 7 Races 1:53-5:23p.m. Stratford(E) N/H 7 Races 5:30-8:30p.m. Lingfield(E) Flat 7 Races 5:10-8:15p.m. Racecards At The Races Sporting Life Racing Post Good Luck
Some things hardly ever change – the going report at Haydock being on the soft side of good for virtually every meeting of the season on the flat being one of them. It is quite possible that thrice-raced Mighty Ulysses is a handicap snip in the Silver Bowl with a decent claimer taking 5lb off the topweight. The Sandy Lane Stakes has thrown up a few decent performers over the years and Karl Burke’s El Caballo has won his last five and has winning form on easy ground so it is quite possible that he can improve past Go Bears Go, a Group 2 winning juvenile. Flaming Rib beat four older horses last time and has form on soft ground. In the feature Temple Stakes, one of those older horses King’s Lynn is one of the principals in the betting after that warm up whilst I think that Twilight Calls owes most of his price to his trainer – Henry Candy – after being fifth in a blanket finish to the Palace House at HQ. The form pick should be Nunthorpe winner Winter Power if you are inclined to take her fitness on trust; and she ran poorly on both starts after winning at York. Over at The Curragh, the Irish 2000 Guineas does look like a very well paid exercise gallop for Native Trail with 11lb in hand of all his rivals on the book. Purely from looking at the ratings, joint second top Imperial Fighter looks worth a punt for the forecast as he was second to Guineas winner Coroebus in the Autumn Stakes so Andrew Balding is not tilting at windmills crossing the Irish Sea. It must be a while since Aidan O’Brien has only had one runner in a home Classic and it is 12/1. I find myself looking at an open looking Listed race at Goodwood for a bet, drawn to it primarily because Mark Johnston loves a winner at the Sussex track. WEST END CHARMER only ran once last year finishing third over course and distance, so he has had his problems. In 2020 he was third in the Duke of Edinburgh at Royal Ascot beaten two lengths by the useful Scarlet Dragon when favourite. Clearly the six year old is thought to retain ability to perform at this level and his main opponent is Majestic Dawn, winner of the 2020 Cambridgeshire at 40/1 but last in the Huxley Stakes on his only start this year. I can see Franny Norton setting the fractions today with Johnston’s only other runner at the track being an outsider that has only won on the sand.
From the lack of posting on today’s thread, I am concluding that the evening card of slow old plodders at Stratford makes little appeal and followers of that code were watching Auteuil on Sky Sports Racing. I thought that Native Trail hardly did anything to enhance his reputation or the value of the 2000 Guineas form with a lacklustre victory in the Irish version, chased home at less than two lengths distance by a 40/1 outsider with my forecast horse staying on to pass beaten horses for third last on. The Ballydoyle runner ending up 18/1 suggests a shortage of ammunition in this division for that operation. The ‘good thing’ in the Silver Bowl turned out to be not such a good thing, or perhaps the winner Whoputfiftyinyou and the runner up are both good types as they finished more than five lengths clear of the rest. The favourite Mighty Ulysses looked home and hosed when he went on but showed little fight when challenged late. Hats off to Her Majesty with King’s Lynn winning the Temple Stakes, presumably en route to the Royal meeting, whilst Henry Candy intends to go to the King’s Stand with runner up Twilight Calls and jockey David Allan reported that favourite Winter Power needed the race. Clearly Franny Norton did not read my instructions at Goodwood, allowing Jim Crowley to make all and win unchallenged on Majestic Dawn while he stayed on late to beat last year’s winner for second.
Good win for Kings Lynn. As we pointed out at Chester he looked too well (ie a bit fat) but looked more the real thing today. The decision will be Kings stand or Jubilee at RA now. Things will have to go his way for him to win/get placed in those.
