The Weekend’s Racing.
Two out of three of our each-way picks placed last week and with one of them at odds of 20/1 (taken) I can’t be too upset with that, though a repeat looks increasingly unlikely thanks to the inclement weather that has descended on us in the past seven days or so forcing the abandonments of some pretty high profile meetings. Amusingly the All-Weather meeting at Kempton fell on Wednesday evening thanks to a LACK of water after a burst water pipe but then again would you want to be stuck at a race meeting with no flushing toilets – me neither!
Looking through the racing news and no great surprise to see it’s all about Royal Ascot – though a little more notice would have been nice ahead of my invite to watch some of the International challengers work would have been nice with the 5.30am start making life close to impossible for those of us with a workload to complete, and I had to give it a miss. As you know I am a huge advocate of the International racing scene and would have loved to have got to Newmarket in time but I don’t think my clock even has a 5.00am button on it, and it was too late to book overnight in the circumstances. For those interested I will be putting out my obligatory daily Royal Ascot preview race by race but its more for fun than profit as we all know just how competitive the majority of the races are – and how skinny the prices are as the bookmakers look to “mug” the once or twice a year punters.
On to this weekend and although they do declare blinkers or gelding in the race cards they are yet to offer the options of flippers or a snorkel sadly. When a National Hunt card has to be abandoned (Newton Abbot) in June you know there is something wrong and all suggestions this weekend really need to be taken with a healthy dose of salt (if there is such a thing of course)?
After careful consideration (i.e. out came the lucky pin) IU am going to stick with a Dr Marwan Koukash pair at Chester, though both of them each way and only to the smallest of stakes. Powerallied takes a drop in class for trainer Richard Fahey after the six-year-old came home a distant twentieth over five furlongs at York in May, but the son of Camacho is better than that and has won on soft ground here, albeit over half a furlong shorter. A bit of a course specialist with four of his five career wins here, he looks well worth a second glance at the very least and will be joined by the same owner’s Gossip Column in the 5.30pm.
Already a course and distance winner in August last year when rated four pounds higher, he is another taking a trip in to lesser company after a sixth to Caradoc over shorter in a Class Two at Newmarket and he could well surprise them all off his new mark if he handles the surface with is sadly anything but guaranteed.
Horses to Follow.
An eleven length third from a Goodwood novice is rarely up to too much but I suspect William Haggas will get a win out for The Queen’s Shrewdnessin the next few weeks or months. Well backed on the day and sent off a 13/8 shot at the off the home-bred Lawman filly was clearly expected to put in a far better effort but she looked all at sea on the undulating track and can be easily excused a below par effort. Back on a flat track and perhaps dropped back to a mile and allowed to bowl along in front, she is more than capable of picking up a race or two and is now qualified for handicaps expanding her opportunities in dramatic fashion.
As an addendum, if anyone cares horse racing is not the only sport I follow or get involved with. I have just got back from a thrashing on the squash court (he is 13 years younger than me, unlucky for some), and I also play a bit go golf (very badly), though I have written about both sports among others over the years. With the US Open going on as I write it deserves at least a passing mention, and fingers crossed for Justin Rose who is in the lead as I write. No, I didn't back him or tip him (Dustin Johnson was my main pick and I need a miracle) but I am English and so is Justin so I can't not cheer him on, though I fail to understand why one of the most competitive events on the golf calendar saw favourites at around the 8/1 mark - when I can get 12/1 the feel in the lesser events week in week out?
Sean’s Suggestions:
Powerallied each-way 4.55pm Chester Saturday
Gossip Column each-way 5.30pm Chester Saturday
Good luck as always,
Sean
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