Yesterday’s Review

No Investments

 

Today’s Advice

VICTOIRE MAGIQUE (15f Gp2) – Pierre Bonnard has been a mightily disappointing type this season for Ballydoyle and finished unplaced in this year’s Group 1 St Leger at Doncaster having been denied the clearest of runs from two furlongs out. The response when he was in clear air was the same as it has been for most of this season…very little. The step up in trip for today’s (12.23) Longchamp looks like another experiment and as a short price favourite he looks one to take on.

The selection is 2-2 over today’s distance and showed a great attitude from the front last time out when making all in a slowly run Group 3 over course and distance. It looked like regular opponent Space Waltz was going to power by inside the final furlong when challenging the selection but Cristian Demuro’s charge showed the better battling qualities over the distance to prevail by a length. He did win a weakish looking Listed race the time before when held up so he does look flexible when it comes to tactics. His regular pilot is on board once again for the Amy Murphy stable and at the prices he looks worth an interest.

 

ELEGANZ (14f Group 1) – The (3.25) Longchamp looks a nice spot for the Graffard stable’s Sunly having caught the eye in last month’s Group 1 Prix Vermeille behind Friendly Soul. Caught out in the rear following a stumble from the gates she was the eyecatcher of the race having been badly hampered in the straigh tbefore running on well for the bronze medal a length and a quarter behind at the line. This looks a much easier opportunity than tomorrow’s Prix De L’Arc De Triomphe but the price looks a bit short for today’s contest considering she is stepping up in trip.

There are plenty of decent rivals in opposition and the selection put in a career best effort on the clock last time out in a Listed contest over course and distance behind the Jessica Harrington trained Marazion. As a half-sister to the German Oaks winner Erle, she has always shown plenty of potential and finished third behind the favourite in the Group 3 Prix Royaumont back in 2025 over 12f. She raced in midfield last time out and kept on al the way to the line to go down by just a half length. Oisin Murphy takes over today and she looks a little unloved in the betting as today’s contest looks a big step up in class. It may be a bridge too far for her but at the prices on offer Monsieur Fabre and newly promoted daughter Lavinia look to have an interesting prospect going forward.

 

ANCIENT STATE/RHYTHM N HOOVES (5f Hcap) – With the stalls on the stands side at Ascot yesterday it looked like a high draw proved a bit of an advantage as expected with the opening contest over 7f going the way of stall 17 of 18 and the runner-up in stall 16 (Who Wants Me and Dannick), and the two highest stalls in race 5 coming home 1-2 (Goldmoyne and First Legion). With 13 runners declared for today’s (4.10) Ascot the Adam Kirby trained selection looks to have a nice berth in stall 12 for a prominent racer with decent 5lb claimer Taryn Langley on board. The first season trainer has won 4 races with the four-year-old son of Dandy Man and has seen his handicap rating rise 29lb in the space of 11 contests. First time cheekpieces are applied today and although there has been some movement in the price overnight he looks to have enough boxes ticked today to get involved.

The Robert Cowell trained selection returned to form at Newbury having dropped a stone in the ratings. He pressed the leader on that occasion and turned away all challengers from three furlongs out to prevail by a neck from the Harry Charlton trained Hypnotised. He finished unplaced over course and distance last time out but had the worst of the draw that day from stall 1. With a double figure draw in stall 10 today I expect him to show a bit more than last time. Barry McHugh has a decent record for the Robert Cowell stable having won or been placed on 41% of his mounts (3 wins and 9 places from 29 rides) and the six-year-old son of Pearl Secret is still 5lb below his last winning mark from 2025.

 

JENEVER (6f Hcap) – This seven-year-old showed that he can pop up sooner rather than later from his reduced handicap mark having finished runner-up to Massimo Blue over course and distance back in August. Drawn wide in stall 11 he raced prominently and took up the running over two furlongs from home before just giving way to the wiinner by a length and a quarter at the line. The (107) timefigure was 4 lengths per mile faster than the winning par for the grade and a reproduction of that effort would see him in the shake up for tonight’s (7.30) Southwell. The short priced favourite New Image looks the one to beat having been revitalised by the Michael Herrington stable 7 days ago when winning from the widest draw over course and distance from a career low handicap mark. Still 16lb below his peak when trained by David O’Meara there looks to be plenty of room for improvement if he can back up quickly.

 

1pt e/way Victoire Magique (5/1 William Hill, 9/2 general) 12.23 Longchamp

0.5pt e/way Eleganz (40/1 William Hill, Ladbrokes, Coral) 3.25 Longchamp

1pt e/way Ancient State (4/1 William Hill, 7/2 general 4 places) 4.10 Ascot

0.75pt e/way Rhythm N Hooves (14/1 William Hill, Paddy Power, Betvictor 4 places) 4.10 Ascot

0.75pt e/way Jenever (15/2 Betfred, 7/1 Paddy Power, William Hill 4 places) 7.30 Southwell

 

I will be back tomorrow for the Arc meeting at Longchamp

Best of luck today

Graham