THE INSIDER
COULD tomorrow be the day? It’s almost two years since WINKER WATSON won the 2007 July Stakes, but since then, he hasn’t troubled the judge once. However, the combination of a drop in trip, a new partner in Adrian McCarthy and most importantly, the added assistance of blinkers, means that I am prepared to give him another chance.
The John Smith’s Northumberland Plate is the pearl in Newcastle’s racing calendar but my backing of two-mile-plus horses isn’t proving too fruitful at present. I think the best I managed in the Ascot marathons last week was a sixth place apart from the regal Yeats. It’s almost enough to put me off TILT and as such I will be having a small each way bet on Brian Ellison’s runner. This seven-year-old gelding has some really useful form behind Hits Only Vic and Furmigadelagiusta in his last two outings and I can see him reversing the placing with the aforementioned runner.
It’s worth following Karl Burke’s runners at the moment, as he’s on fire. JEANIE JOHNSTON runs in tomorrow’s Listed Sunley Empress Stakes at Newmarket and can follow-up after her nice display at Haydock. The one for the forecast is Jira.