Back to normality (or as near as I ever get) after having to take a week off last week thanks to delayed planes and poor wi-fi making a decent article close to impossible.
It’s always good to get home to the UK and all the bickering and in-fighting I missed so much (?) with the latest issues being the weather and a new set of possible race times.
Firstly, Exeter have been the focus of plenty of wrath on social media after running their first few races on Thursday before abandoning after race three. There was clearly water on the surface well before racing started and although they have now offered free entry tickets to another meeting, there is a school of thought that they deliberately ran the required races to make sure they had no legal requirement to offer a refund. I can’t pretend that surprises me, after all they have bills to pay and I suspect a few Christmas parties to fill the coffers, but I am wary for punters who will have assumed it was fit for racing when that may not have been the case.
On to the new look race times and who is looking forward to having a bet on the 2.08pm from wherever in the not too distant future. I gather the plan is to try to avoid those annoying clashes where we all end up watching “picture in picture” as one race is off before the other has finished, but much as I applaud the theory, I suspect the reality could be very different. Trains struggle to run on time and they are on tracks and have the assistance of lights etc so what chances flesh and blood horses. Pressurising racecourses to get races off on time would be a positive move, possibly with penalties if need be, but horses will spread a plate on their way to the start, run off spooked, need a gentle canter to the start to avoid setting them alight too soon, refuse to enter the stalls, or not line up in an orderly fashion at the first attempt when asked.
None can be accurately allowed for, and with the solid rule in place that a race cannot go off even a solitary second early, there is precious little a racecourse can do to make amends. They can bring a little more pressure to bear for tracks to try to play catch up after any incidents, but we live in an imperfect world and this looks like a wild goose chase, though if they can prove me wrong (in the long-term), I will be equally delighted.
On to the racing this weekend (weather allowing), and it will be interesting to see the crowd size at Ascot on Saturday where racing apparently goes ahead despite all sorts of traffic problems in the south-east that may well make it difficult for your average racegoer. Looking for a bet worthy of the name has been even trickier than normal with the Long Walk Hurdle (now called the Marsh Hurdle) a personal favourite but with Paisley Park at odds of 1/4 there are more reasons not to bet. L’Ami Serge could be the one to serve it up to him even at the age of nine, but I will be taking a watching brief and keep my Ascot powder dry for the big handicap that closes the card at 3.00pm. Not So Sleepy and French Crusader look likely to get involved in the finish for Hughie Morrison and Nicky Henderson respectively but I will take an each-way risk on the improving Whoshotthesheriff who came up against a decent sort in Bold Plan last time out when caught close home over further at Haydock last time out. The five-year-old deserves a change of luck after falling on his seasonal return when having every chance at Cheltenham in October and today could be his day, though a place will do for me in a race as competitive as this.
One more bet will do for me I’m afraid to say, and a quick look at the Quebec Stakes from Lingfield suggests Dubai Warrior is the one to be on. Ten of the elven winners of this race finished first or second last time out and if we follow that trend then two of the five runners fail to qualify, leaving Dalgarno, Victory Bond, and my selection to fight it out for the £20,000 plus first prize. Short priced favourites have a decent record as well with two out of two odds on successes which gives us another tick on the box, though his age (three) goes against him and is the only negative I can see when profiling the race. I’m assuming he is the John Gosden number one with Robert Havlin riding, and with the stable in great form over the winter (eight winners from their last thirty runners at the time of writing), I am pretty hopeful the son of Dansili can follow up his recent Chelmsford victory here in receipt of weight from all his older rivals.
Lastly, as you may have read, I was disappointed when Almond Eye failed to make it to Hong Kong two weeks ago, but she is apparently over the minor issue that plagued her and has her next start in the Arima Kinen at Nakayama in Japan on Sunday. I certainly wish her all the best in what looks an incredibly competitive field that will test her abilities to the full but I won’t be having a bet or suggesting one with the likes of Cox Plate winner Lys Gracieux and the out of sorts but classy at his best Rey De Oro in the field reducing any confidence I may have had.
Sean’s Suggestions:
Whoshotthesheriff each way 3.00pm Ascot Saturday
Dubai Warrior 2.00pm Lingfield Saturday
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