Yesterday’s Review
0.5pt e/way Lionella – A slowly run race, where the front two finished first and second, wouldn’t have suited the selection. The winner looked like he had learned a lot from the last day and like most of Sir Mark’s keeps finding improvement as they go along. Happy enough with a place. Result 3rd 12/1 adv…SP 12/1.
0.5pt e/way Zabbie – A liitle frustrating she couldn’t get up for the place. A slowly enough run race with the winner only recording a speed figure of (99) probably wouldn’t have suited her, as all she seems to do is stay on. Perhaps she had a hard enough race 12 days ago in the Soft ground at Goodwood as well. Will be interesting to see how she progresses.
Today’s Advice
Laoisman (8f Novice) I very rarely back horses on their second day at school. However, Sean Woods colt has a few things in his favour for today’s (4.00) Newmarket. Having the best speed figure (104) helps, which he recorded when runnning a very nice race behind George Boughey’s Nine Six Five at Pontefract on racecourse debut. The son of Night Of Thunder tracked the pace that day before taking up the running over a furlong from home. It looked like he had done enough before just being headed at the finish by the winner. It was nice to see how he quickened into the lead before just being headed near the line. Young apprentice Harry Davies takes 3lbs off his back today, which means favourite Quddwah has to give him 11lbs in total, when also taking his penalty for winning at Salisbury into account. On that day the favourite looked very green and also raced with a high head carriage. Enough positives on our side for an interest.
Hiromichi (8f Handicap) Jack Channon’s grey gelding has been a real money-spinner since getting off the mark at Ffos Las last year from a handicap mark of (63). Remarkably, despite winning five handicaps in that time, he races off just (75) in today’s (4.35) Newmarket. With apprentice George Bass (who has won on him before) taking a further 3lbs off his back, he still looks well treated. The selection first came to clockwatchers attention when recording a speed figure of (104) when carrying 9st 10lbs to victory at Ffos Las over the extended 7f last September. Equally effective on the sand, two cracking efforts were put up at Wolverhampton (109) and Lingfield (108). The latter performance over 8f 1y opened up a lot more avenues for the grey and he duly won again over the mile at Bath last time out, on ground that was probably a bit too soft for him. A prominent racer, with little pace in today’s race, everything looks set for another solid effort.
Sword Beach (12f Handicap) Alan King’s gelding races off a career low handicap mark of (71) in today’s (5.26) Newbury. With today’s ground described as Good (Good To Firm places), I am willing to take a chance that we might see a better performance than his most recent effort on Soft ground at Bath. While it has been mentioned that he has won as a 2-y-o on Soft ground, I see a lot of his better performances on the clock have been on a sounder surface. His last two wins were on Good To Firm going at Windsor in 2021, with the most recent one being in a (0-90) handicap off a mark of (81). Today’s Class 5 contest represents a big drop in class. While he hasn’t made the winner’s enclosure since returning from a 355 day absence last September, there have been two performances on the sand at Kempton that have indicated it may be a bit early to write off the 6-y-o. The first run was an excellent fourth place finish, beaten just 1.25L by Later Darling, when carryiyng the welter burden of 10st 1lb. The second one while only recording a 1L faster time despite carrying 13lbs less, was in a race not run to suit as the first and second raced very close to the pace. The excellent Danny Muscutt takes the ride and hopefully there will be enough pace to enable him to get a position from his difficult draw in stall (19).
Morning Approach (8f Handicap) Willie McCreery’s 5-y-o mare returns to a track where she has performed best, since we first seen her in 2020. Billy Lee takes the ride in the (5.45) Leopardstown and the Dawn Approach mare is back down to 1lb below her last winning mark (67). It has been 55 days since we last seen her when well beaten on Soft to Heavy going at The Curragh. I am willing to allow her that performance on her seasonal debut on ground that she most likely didn’t enjoy. Most of her best performances have come on a sound surface and if she is well in herself, she is worth taking a chance on at double figure odds from a decent draw in stall (4).
1pt e/way Laoisman (5/1 Paddy Power/Unibet 9/2 General) Newmarket 4.00
1pt e/way Hiromichi (5/1 General) Newmarket 4.35
0.5pt e/way Sword Beach (22/1 5 places General) Newbury 5.26
0.5pt e/way Morning Approach (12/1 5 places Paddy Power/William Hill/888sport/Coral/Unibet/Betfred/Ladbrokes) Leopardstown 5.45