ALL VIEWS ARE MY OWN
The fun of heading off to Hong Kong last week comes at a price – I have returned to a load of added work, e-mails to reply to, and the hours needed to go through the latest releases from the Gambling Commission that are necessarily detailed – but where do we find all the extra hours in the day?
I suspect I will be covering that in more details next week (and thanks to the Gambling Commission for sending me a copy by e-mail as the HBF look to work with them over the months and years ahead), with the early good news being an agreed framework looking to avoid arduous affordability checks in the interim period – though only time will tell if that works as hoped.
Therefore, its horses only this week as I try to buy a little time to get back to the straight and narrow – wish me luck with that one!
Saturday Racing
Newmarket 1.10pm
Although the afternoon seems unlikely to turn into the Godolphin show, they may start the card with a winner in the shape of Star Guest. The daughter of Dubawi does need to take another step forward to get competitive at this level, but she signed off last season with two wins here on the July course and will be aiming for her hat-trick. She can make the running or sit just off the front which is a good place to be at this track, while William Buick rides Newmarket as well as anyone, though be warned – she is no good thing and has to find a stone or so if she want to win according to the official ratings.
Newmarket 2.20pm
It wasn’t my intention to work on too many handicaps but all I have had this week is calls and messages telling me the Gosden’s Torito is a Group winner masquerading in a handicap. Lightly raced with just the five career starts, with wins at Nottingham and Epsom over a mile and a quarter, he saved his best for last with a three length fourth at Royal Ascot in the Hampton Court Stakes, Group Three when left with too much to do and finding the sensible run blocked off. Gelded over the winter he has his first start in 10 months now which is the big concern, but even at the current odds of 6/1 he is an each way play.
Newmarket 2.55pm
I don’t usually get involved in sprints this early in the season but if Karl Burke has Beautiful Diamond ready to roll for her first start of the season, AND she has trained on from two to three, then she is potentially thrown in for the Palace House Stakes at 2.55pm. Starting off with a maiden win on her Nottingham debut and ending with a win in Listed class at Ayr in September, her best runs were probably in defeat with a two length third in the Queen Mary Stakes at Royal Ascot and a length and a half fifth in the Lowther Stakes at York when she failed to see out the sixth furlong. Back to the minimum trip here she could go on to be a top sprinter with normal improvement, and as she is rated 101 but gets weight both as a three-year-old and as a filly, she is effectively well in by 4lb or more with all of these rivals.
Newmarket 3.35pm
The 2000 Guineas is the first classic of each season, raved over the Newmarket Rowley mile and the road to superstar status for many and a rewarding career at stud. Irish trainer Aidan O’Brien has won this race four times in the last 10 years and has the odds-on favourite here in City Of Troy at 4/6 or thereabouts – but is he really as good as everyone thinks? Unbeaten as a juvenile with wins including the Dewhurst Stakes which he won by over three lengths, he has been talked up as the best thing since sliced bread – but that seems to happen every year with a Ballydoyle colt and their effective marketing machine. Both his important wins came on ground with cut in it, but on breeding he could be even better on a sounder surface – we shall see. Those who don’t fancy the short price have plenty of each way alternatives with the Hannon yard keen on the chances of Rosallion (11/2), Clive Cox is sweet on Ghostwriter (16/1), and Night Raider (16/1) may have a fitness edge after his easy Southwell win, and I would not put anyone off at least considering any of the three.
Sean’s Suggestions:
Beautiful Diamond 2.55pm Newmarket
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