Plenty to talk about again this week starting with the Marmite of the racing World, the Shergar Cup from Ascot on Saturday afternoon. A team event covering all six races on the Ascot card, this year we have Ireland v Great Britain v Rest of The World v Ladies teams, but the “love it or hate it” aspect is down to the format of the event – how can you open your wallet to have a bet when a) you don’t know team tactics and b) the jockeys may well have never ridden the horse concerned before and don’t know their mounts until Thursday to do any research. The truth is, if it attracts new fans to the sport, and garners a decent TV audience on a Saturday afternoon, then I need to be dragged kicking and screaming in to the 21st century if that’s what it takes to keep the sport going – but I don’t have to bet on it any more than you do.
Moving on and I have been proved wrong – nothing new there. I was assured by my Australian friends that we were all making a fuss about nothing with regard to the new rules for runners at the Melbourne Cup – I was badly misled. Godolphin will not be sending any horses over this year, and nor will Aidan O’Brien with International entries halved for 2021 – the Aussies will get what they want in most likely a home trained winner, but they need to stop shouting about how big a race it is when they have effectively made life far too difficult for the European horses to travel over to mount a challenge.
Next up I can add two things together – firstly, how good a trainer is David Menuisier after Wonderful Tonight strolled home at Goodwood to take the Lillie Langtry Stakes by a couple of lengths with a further nine back to the third. David trains just down the road from me (I must sort out an interview some time), but I have to question how the going was good to soft for race one and soft by the time she ran? The World and his wife seems to know it was softer than that as they backed the mare all morning – while those of us relying on the official going description didn’t even expect her to run, go figure?
Enough moaning and on to the racing!
If you would prefer to listen to our thoughts feel free to go to the free podcast where Ron Robinson of World Of Sport fame will join me at https://postracing.co.uk/2021/08/06/aussies-running-scared-peslier-a-good-call-are-teams-good-for-racing-and-a-host-of-weekend-winners/
Racing this weekend:
Saturday.
2.42pm Cork
Dermot Weld has farmed this race over the years with wins in 2015, 2016, ands 2018, and he has a decent looking chance of another here with Erzindjan who wears first time blinkers, but it would be a shock to me were he to prove good enough to see off Military Style, though we do have to take his fitness on trust after close to 11 months off the track. A Group Three winner as a juvenile he ended last season with a well beaten ninth in the National Stakes, one place behind Irish 2000 Guineas winner Mac Swiney, and if he has trained on (which is the big question), he is difficult to bet against in this field.
2.50pm Newmarket
Back to my friends at Godolphin who have given me so many winners over the years, and a chance for Wild Beauty to cement her place in next year’s 1000 Guineas market if she can win the Sweet Solera Stakes at Newmarket over seven furlongs. Things didn’t go to plan on her Ascot debut when she was as green as grass before coming home in sixth, but she soon put that effort behind her with wins at Haydock and Newbury before she was put in her place by Inspiral in a Listed event at Sandown, but time may prove that was no disgrace with the Gosden trained filly now heading the antepost markets for next year’s first fillies’ classic. Strangely enough for her fourth race, she showed all the signs of inexperience once again that day but still ran well, and she will be mightily unlucky to run in to anything of the calibre of her conqueror in this field, suggesting she ought to be up to winning this if she can hold on to her form.
3.35pm Haydock
I do not like the price in an 11-runner field, but it is hard to oppose Potapova here as she returns to far easier company after floundering on the heavy ground when tried against the best in the Group One Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot. Her earlier wide margin successes in weaker contests had already marked her down as a filly to follow, and if she gets good ground here, she can begin her climb back up the ladder via this Listed contest. Sir Michael Stoute excels with the fillies in his care and always has, and she hasn’t been rushed back to the track after a tough race, a kindness that can hopefully be rewarded with a third career success here.
4.10pm Haydock
The Godolphin team look all set for a good weekend as things stand with numerous horses in with solid chances in their respective races, but none more so than Real World in the Group Three Rose Of Lancaster Stakes due off at 4.10pm from Haydock. A winner on his debut at Chelmsford, her was switched to the dirt in Dubai for his next four starts where he ran well without success, and made his turf debut in the fiercely competitive Royal Hunt Cup at Royal Ascot, wearing cheekpieces for the first time. Sent off an 18/1 chance he simply ran away with that by close to five lengths eased down, and followed up in Listed company with ease at Newbury and I note he now holds Group One entries at Ascot on Champions Day, suggesting this level is easily within his abilities.
4.55pm Cork
With my severely limited knowledge of Irish form this looks as good a race as any to use stats on and here we go, with Dermot Weld and Aiden O’Brien winning nine of the last 10 runnings between them. One other clue I gleaned was the weight for age concession seems to suit the three-year-olds as they have been responsible for seven of the last 10 winners (which takes out both the Weld runners), pointing me rather unconvincingly to Willow as my each way selection. With Seamie Heffernan on board it seems fair to assume she is the better fancied of the O’Brien pair, and she does take a big drop in class after a 12 length fourth to Snowfall in the Irish Oaks at The Curragh. Personally, I am less convinced than most about that form, but it is in the book and at 6/1 it would be a surprise to me if she didn’t hit the frame at the very least.
Sunday
3.05pm The Curragh
A six-furlong cavalry charge to start our Sunday racing, though thankfully I can see little evidence of draw bias here – one less thing to have to put in to the melting pot before reach any decisions. I may be being biased against the local trained horses, but I do quite like the look of The Queen’s Light Refrain here with her three-year-old allowance, her fillies’ allowance, and Ryan Moore in the saddle, though I admit the jockey booking caught me by surprise as he is riding in America on Saturday night at Saratoga (and needs to pass on the cure to jet-lag to us mere mortals). Last time out she won a similar contest at York pretty easily, and as she has won on soft ground too, we have no worries if the heavens open between now and race time.
4.10pm The Curragh
Six furlongs again only this time we move up a gear to Group One standard in a race won by some very high class juveniles in the past, including Siskin, Caravaggio, and Air Force Blue, and it will be interesting to see if anything of their calibre comes out of this year’s renewal. As things stand it’s all about Go Bears Go, David Loughnane’s son of Kodi Bear who is beginning to look well bought at 150,000 guineas. A debut winner, he was then a short-head second to Perfect Power in the Norfolk Stakes at Royal Ascot before winning the Group Two Railway Stakes o er this course and distance. He sits a 40/1 chance for next season’s 2000 Guineas but will shrink in price if he wins this easily, though I do wonder Ger Lyons is happy to take him on again with Curragh fourth Dr Zempf, and I suspect that one may well finish an awful lot closer to his conqueror here.
Sean’s Suggestions:
Real World 4.10pm Haydock Saturday
NO ARTICLE NEXT WEEK, I’M HAVING A HOLIDAY!
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