to find out that Nicky Mackay was allowed to put up 2lbs overweight on our winning (dead-heat!) nap, seek the fair land, yesterday!
hayley turner was sitting in the weighing room!
very unprofessional by trainer, JIM BOYLE, eh?
on that made cheltenham clerk of the course, reportedly, that he’s not ruling out watering!
it’s been the worse winter for many years, way before they restructured the racecourse, including drainage, etc, and that comment smacked of incredulity.
So near and yet so far, four days ago quick-starting Caramelita just failed to last home at Lingfield in a six furlongs maiden race, caught right on the post by long odds-on chance, Noble Greek; John Jenkins’ charge attempts to go one better in a similar race at Kempton this afternoon and it should be a cracker, most intriguing.
Likely-favourite is once-raced Progress, trained by Jeremy Noseda who produced a ‘beaut’ newcomer to score a few days ago.
Quality of these maidens is obviously getting better as the turf-flat season approaches and Progress, fifth in Newmarket maiden last Autumn, might just outclass her seven rivals.
There again she might not because this will happen so quickly as Caramelita ‘bombs out’ and puts them to the sword.
Hopefully all will go to post be3cause Caramelita is the second leg of my each-way double, Alteranthela in the opening Novices’ Hurdle over two and three-quarter miles of Fontwell is the first!
The Giant Bolster comes out a pound or two better but Alteranthela is strongly-fancied, trained locally and ridden by Leighton Aspell, one of my real ‘favourites’.
Later Nicky Henderson-trained Afsoun is ideally suited by conditions of the grade 2 £60000 National Spirit Hurdle over two and a half miles, named after one of the best hurdlers during the mid-twentieth century.
A cracking day in prospect, so much to enjoy.
Selections, Fontwelll, 2.00 Alteranthela (e.w); 3.35 Afsoun; Kempton, 2.20 Caramelita (nap-e.w); Towcester, 2.40 Love Of Tara.
Suits Me to go along with ‘in-form’ Darryll Holland in the listed £40000 Winter Derby Trial over ten furlongs of Lingfield polytrack today; just one to beat, odds-on favourite, Gitano Hernando, because six others need to improve considerably.
‘The Dazzler’ flew in from the “warmth!” of Barbados to the clammy starkness of Southwell earlier this week, “warmed up!” with a cracking double and hopes to land this ‘biggie’ before returning to the Caribbean for the highly-prestigious Cockspur Gold Cup around the Garrison Savannah.
Presumably Darryll will then spend a few more days at his Barbadian mansion, fruit of much reward from a highly-successful career as an International jockey of admirable repute.
Holland will also be fancying his chances aboard Arfganil in the £40000 listed Cleve Stakes over six furlongs; clear ‘best-in’ this Kevin Ryan-trained course and distance winner.
Realistically these are two good bets, obvious reason(s) why Darryll has journeyed over but why are the first two races worth only £7200 collectively?
Such an imbalance reflects badly on the track executive; surely they could have ‘lopped off’ ‘five grand’ from both prestige races and equalized the programme.
This great ‘Sport Of Kings’ doesn’t need ‘Racing For Change’ just common sense and a slice of pragmatism.
Anyway, as I’ve often mentioned, change is the bastarization of tradition and ours is very much dependent on its historic characterisation.
Selections, Lingfield, 3.15 Total Impact (e.w); 3.50 Arganil; 4.20 Suits Me (e.w); 4.55 Seek The Fair Land.