Plenty of rain forecast for Monday/Tuesday and it might be a good idea to concentrate on horses that act or are likely to act on soft ground this afternoon.
At Colwick Park Nottingham there is a competitive 2m handicap which could turn into a thorough test of stamina if the forecast is correct; Hurry Home Poppa (3.00) is only 1lb higher than when winning over 1m 6f on soft ground at Redcar back in November and he carried 10st on that occasion. Paul Hanagan takes the mount for the first time and at 5/1 with BetVictor I would be disappointed if he didn’t run into a place.
Cartier (3.30) is bred to improve for the step up in trip to 10f having run out an impressive winner of her final start at two when easily landing a Kempton maiden over a mile. As a daughter of Montjeu one would imagine soft ground would hold few terrors and she is taken to land what promises to be a most informative fillies’ handicap.
Perceived has winning form on soft ground as a juvenile and ran a cracker at Goodwood last time from a 2lb lower mark. Ryan Moore take over on recent course winner Melodious and she represents a big danger given she is also entered in a listed race at Goodwood later in the week. She should get the extra two furlongs standing on her head (dam was a 12f winner) but I just favour Cartier in a race which is likely to throw up a number of winners over the weeks to come.
Making Shapes (3.20) can make it third time lucky for Newmarket handler Peter Chapple-Hyam whose stable star Arod ran such an excellent race when finishing third in the Lockinge at Newbury on Saturday. The selection finished third at Pontefract on his reappearance last month and whilst that looked a modest maiden for the track, runner up subsequently beaten 10 lengths, this well bred colt is taken to build on that effort.
Magic Circle (2.40) was very well supported when scoring at Doncaster on soft ground last week and is taken to defy a penalty for the inform Ralph Beckett at Chepstow. The selection was well o top at the end of that contest having looked in trouble for much of the race and he is taken to confirm the form with runner up Major Mac who is 6lbs better off for Hughie Morrison who has booked Richard Hughes. I would not be surprised to see Hughes try and make all from his low draw but Magic Circle gets the vote.
Gran Maestro (3.10) was last seen, over hurdles, finishing runner up at Sandown over 2m 4f but is only 3lbs higher than when winning at Haydock over today’s 10f trip last May when trained by Ruth Carr. Champion jockey Hughes gets the mount for Dr Richard Newland whose string remain in excellent form.
Niblawi finished runner up on debut but failed to build on that when a beaten odds-on favourite back at Kempton 12 days later. That run might have come too soon (12 days) after his debut and a market move would be worth noting. Preference, however, is for Alcatraz (3.40) making his British debut for George Baker having finished fourth in a 7f handicap when last seen in his native Ireland at the end of March.
At Newton Abbot I like the booking of Aidan Coleman for Dan’s Wee Man (7.00) trained by Anthony Honeyball; the selection remains a maiden after 15 starts but he is beginning to get his act together over fences and connections look to have found an excellent opportunity.
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