Back Express to impress again at York August 23, 2023 YORK is a bit like marmite for some horses as they either love it or hate it. Time and time again we see the same horses winning on the Knavesmire, quite often when they are hopelessly out of form. This doesn’t make life easy for punters, but I’m hoping the theory of following course form [...]
Diamond a Beautiful bet to give Burke another Lowther August 23, 2023 ONLY one market leader has obliged in the last eight runnings of today’s Lowther Stakes (1.50pm), a six-furlong Group Two for juvenile fillies. Karl Burke has been successful twice in the last four years, both with double-figure priced contenders, and his BEAUTIFUL DIAMOND looks a great each-way bet to land the hat-trick. Very impressive on [...]
Moracana can strike in Galtres for Lavery and the Irish August 23, 2023 IRISH-trained runners have done well in the Sir Henry Cecil Galtres Stakes (4.10pm) in recent years, winning two of the last four renewals and I fancy they could add another success today. After 11 career starts, Sheila Lavery’s MORACANA doesn’t have the scope for progression of some of her more lightly raced rivals, but she [...]
Fantastic Foxes looks the bet for Juddmonte upset August 22, 2023 ALL EYES will be on Paddington as he bids to land a fifth consecutive Group One in the Juddmonte International Stakes (3.35pm), the feature race on the opening day of York’s four-day Ebor meeting. Only three weeks have passed since he sloshed his way through the mud to add Goodwood’s Sussex Stakes to his Irish [...]
Ballymount to be the Boy in the Acomb August 22, 2023 The Group Three Acomb Stakes (2.25pm) has broken up a bit, with only six runners left in the field and not much depth among them. Adrian Keatley’s BALLYMOUNT BOY looks increasingly difficult to oppose, having placed second by just a length to Vandeek – who became a Group One winner in France last weekend – [...]
Back Ryan’s Bergerac to start Ebor meeting with a bang August 22, 2023 KEVIN Ryan often does well when targeting sprints at York and won this race (1.50pm) last year with BERGERAC, who showed serious speed to break from stall two and lead against the far side rail. That’s a sore point for me, as he edged out my own King Of Stars in a head-bobbing finish, but [...]
Tronador entitled to Max respect in Stayers Handicap August 22, 2023 IT QUITE often pays to follow National Hunt trainers in the big staying handicaps on the Flat. Willie Mullins and Nicky Henderson regularly win races like the Cesarewitch at Newmarket and Queen Alexandra Stakes at Royal Ascot, and another leading Jumps handler looks to have a big chance of winning the Stayers Handicap (4.10pm) today. [...]
Blue Rose Cen looks Head and shoulders above Nassau rivals August 2, 2023 PANAMA hats, strawberries and cream, and overseas raiders are the three certainties of Glorious Goodwood year-on-year. And despite this year’s persistent rain which has kept ribboned headwear and fruit bowls away, international runners have still hit our shores to try and take a swing at the best we have to offer. However, in this year’s [...]
I spy a soft ground lover in Espionage August 2, 2023 STAMINA will come to the fore at Goodwood on Thursday. The usual sight of sun beating off the rolling Sussex Downs at this time of year has been replaced with grey clouds and lashing rain, and that’s seen track conditions quickly deteriorate. Having started the five-day meeting on the good side of good-to-soft, the going [...]
Emaraaty can leave Alice in wonderland after Richmond August 2, 2023 GOODWOOD was blasted with heavy rain yesterday which will ensure the ground will be testing again this afternoon. That poses a challenge for the two-year-olds lining up in the Group Two Markel Richmond Stakes (2.25pm). Sketch, one of the market leaders, is yet to race on anything slower than good, while plenty of the others [...]
