Today’s racing allows racing fans to catch a breather after a tantalising weekend of flat action at both Doncaster and Leopardstown; with Irish Champion Stakes winner Almanzor cut to 5/1 from 14s with BetVictor to claim further Group One success in next month’s Prix de L’Arc de Triomphe at Chantilly.
The high class colt got the better of Aidan O’Brien’s brilliant pair of fillies Found and Minding, with the former second in the race for a second successive season and cut to 12/1 (from 14s) to reverse the form with the French raider in the Arc and 4/1 from 8s with BetVictor to win back-to-back Breeders’ Cup Turfs at Santa Anita in November.
Andrea Atzeni enjoyed a terrific week at Doncaster, with Saturday’s four-timer taking his tally on Town Moor to eight winners for the St Leger meeting, and the Italian must go close aboard Pichola Dance (3.10) this afternoon at Kempton. Roger Varian’s well-bred filly made a pleasing debut last month at Newmarket and is a likely improver for an in-form yard.
Godolphin’s Scattered Stars (5.15) makes her handicap debut from an inviting mark of 79 and looks well-placed to follow-up her recent Newbury success under William Buick. The form of both her maiden efforts has worked out particularly well and she must go close for the most powerful of connections.
Apprentice Jockey Georgia Cox is going through a tremendous run of form at present, 6 winners from her last 7 rides, and fancied to build on that aboard Ramblow (2.20) for boss William Haggas at Brighton. The filly was unfortunate to bump into one last time out on the all-weather, finishing second odds-on favourite Cartwright at Lingfield, and with the form of that race working out particularly well she should go one better from a 3lb higher mark.
I’m not surprised to see Cranwell (2.55) stepped up in trip to a mile and a half after staying on strongly over ten furlongs last time out at Bath. George Baker’s filly remains unexposed against her rivals and should likewise reward each-way support under Pat Cosgrave.
Things never went right for Soaring Spirits (4.30) last time out at the track, when forced to attempt to make all over seven furlongs, and he must go close dropping back in trip from an unrevised mark. Dean Ivory’s speedster looked home and hosed a furlong out, before eventually caught late home, and must go close dropping back to his preferred 6f trip under regular pilot Robert Winston.
Joey Barton was left with egg on his face in Glasgow, previously saying his Celtic counterpart Scott Brown ‘wasn’t nowhere near as good as me’ prior to the Hoops’ 5-1 win at Parkhead on Saturday. Barton owns and breeds a string of racehorses and I’m quite sweet on his homebred Wearethepeople (5.25) on nursery debut at Wolverhampton. The Poet’s Voice colt was well supported in the market for a course and distance last month at the track and open to further progression now handicapping must go close for Willie Muir and Martin Dwyer.
Dwyer partners Poet’s Song in the maiden over a mile and a quarter with Marcus Tregoning’s charge respected after some fine efforts handicapping. He must go close if taking the tapeta surface however preference on this occasion lies with Godolphin’s Confident Kid (6.55) bidding to shed the maiden tag at the fifth time of asking. The gelded son of Dubawi was a beaten favourite last time out at Ripon when only third under regular partner James Doyle however, rated 78 sets a useful standard based on his runner-up efforts in the campaign at Haydock and Pontefract and is a confident selection on his all-weather debut under William Carson.
Former jockey Robyn Brisland has made an astonishing start to the training ranks, with the yard going through something of a purple patch and five winners from the trainer’s last ten runners. One of those was Brick Lane (8.25) winning a 7f Handicap at Wolverhampton three weeks’ ago and the Bahamian Bounty filly looks well-placed to defy a 6lb rise at the weights.
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