Newbury & Newmarket… Saturday 19th August
This weekend’s Racing is best described as competitive rather than top class, which is perhaps not surprising given that the Ebor festival is just a few days away. Our team have looked through the cards at Newbury and Newmarket and found 4 selections, including the annual Grey horse handicap at 2:05.
Newbury
3:00 – Heart Bingo Summer Sizzler Handicap
CLASSIC
At the start of the season Richard Hannon would probably have been hoping that Classic would be rated higher than 91 by now. It shows the regard in which he was held that he ran in the Greenham here in April, at which time he still held an entry in the 2,000 Guineas. The soft ground got the better of him on that occasion and he has taken his time to come to hand since, but he finally delivered on his early promise when winning a handicap at Sandown at the beginning of July. He came with a sustained late run that day to get the better of Novus, who has since won a handicap at Glorious Goodwood, whilst the 4th placed Merlin the Wizard has also won in the interim period to boost the form. He missed his intended engagement at Goodwood due to the soft ground, so the drying conditions are clearly a plus and from a new mark that is just 2lbs higher than his Sandown win, he must surely go close.
3:35 – BetVictor Hungerford Stakes (Group 2)
CHINDIT
With the City of York Stakes less than a week away this race has effectively split with that contest, but Chindit was one of the standout candidates amongst the 5-day declarations, and hhe remains the most obvious choice now that we know the full line-up. After making a winning return at Ascot in May he produced a career best performance when second here to Modern Games in the Lockinge. He couldn’t reproduce the same level of form when he was 6th in the Queen Anne behind Triple Time at the Royal Meeting but it was still a perfectly respectable run in the context of this race. The drop in class should be enough to help him get hs head in front again on a track where he has an excellent record.
Newmarket
2:05 – Jenningsbet Grey Horse Handicap
CELTIC CHAMPION
Whilst this race is always an entertaining spectacle to watch, it can be a difficult puzzle for punters to solve as we must sift through the runners who are entered because they are grey and those who genuinely need a 6-furlong sprint handicap on the July course. The horse who is most likely to fit into both categories looks to be Celtic Champion. Andrew Baldings 3-year-old has not been seen since winning a handicap on the all-weather at Lingfield in February, but the yard is more than capable of readying a horse after a break and the absence shouldn’t be too much concern. He was a reserve entry for the Shergar Cup at Ascot last week so the fact that connections were willing to run him in a Class 2 contest there would suggest that they feel he is ready to run his race, especially as this is a much lower grade affair. He has been gelded during his absence, but the form of the Lingfield race, when he beat the now 94-rated Danger Alert by a length, has worked out well and with only a 2lb rise in the weights to contend with, he is easily the most interest grey in the field.
3:10 – Jenningsbet Fillies Nursery Handicap
Bet Here
LADY WULFRUN
If our team were only allowed to have one bet on Saturday, it would be Lady Wulfrun in this Nursery Handicap. Andrew Baldings daughter of Saxon Warrior delivered on her earlier promise when winning here last weekend and the 6lb rise in the weights may not be enough to stop His Majesty’s 2-year-old from visiting the winner’s enclosure again. She raced in touch with the leaders last week and was the only runner to race prominently and still be involved at the finish. Having hit the front at the 2-furlong pole she showed an excellent attitude to hold off the closers on the run up to the line and the fact that she is turned out again so quickly would suggest that her connections still feel she is on a workable mark. She is a half-sister to Encourage and Candle of Hope, who are both pattern class performers and in time her connections will probably be hoping that she may be able to add some all-important Black type to her CV, in which case she should surely prove to better than her current rating of 77.
