Possibly the most interesting race on
Lingfield’s AW card today is the 14:10, a 0-95 handicap over 1m
in which all of the 6 runners can be given a chance on form, and of that
sextet, only Embankment didn’t run close to his best last time. A tricky
puzzle, for sure, but one in which topweight Webbow makes much more appeal than his odds suggest. Julie Camacho’s
gelding will turn 11 in 2 days, but has never been better in his life, finding
only the mercurial Chapter And Verse too strong at Kempton last time, but
running on stoutly over that 7f. That piece of form is arguably the best that
any of today’s runners can boast, and he ought to be shorter in the betting as
a result. He’s better known for his turf exploits, and many will be put off by
the fact that he’s yet to race at Lingfield, but he has an excellent record on
polytrack, and has yet to finish worse than second on this surface, where the
likes of Kempton, Wolverhampton and Dundalk have come alike to him. This strong
traveller is sure to go well again, and couldn’t have a better jockey on board
than George Baker. The race should be run at a decent pace despite the small
field, with both Grey Mirage and recent C&D winner Hometown Glory likely to
force things, and Webbow himself tending
to race handily. I’d expect Baker to sit in third place before pouncing early
in the straight, and he will probably have to withstand later charges from
either George Guru or Lockantanks, and that pair are both reliable and genuine
types who are feared accordingly. All in all, though, Webbow looks a decent bet at odds of 5.4.
Another
old-timer who appeals on the Lingfield card is Alison Hutchinson’s Strike
Force, who is aiming for career win number 11 in the following 1½m handicap at
14:45. He bounced back to form when holding off the reopposing Resplendent
Alpha at the track last month, and while it appears that the latter has an
excellent chance of reversing form on revised terms (now 8-lb better off for a
neck), he’s not the easiest to win with, and needed a drop to selling company
to get the better of Bert The Alert last time. In the meantime, Strike Force
hasn’t stood still, and in-frame efforts on his last 3 starts have represented
better form that his win here, the latest a particularly solid second to course
specialist Knowe Head at Wolverhampton. A repeat of that will see him go very
well, and the late jockey change (Robert Tart takes over from Natasha Eaton)
isn’t a great concern given that Strike Force has proven an excellent ride for
an inexperienced rider before. Miss Blakeney is the only other danger, but her
latest win came in one of the weakest maidens imaginable, and she needs to
prove her mettle in better company. Strewth was well backed last time and has
been nibbled at again, but the money for him when last to finish over C&D
last time came entirely from an off-course bookmaker hedging liabilities on a
multiple bet, and isn’t what it seems at first glance.
Recommended Bets:
Back Webbow in the 14:10 Lingfield
@ [5.4] (NAP)
Back Strike Force in the 14:45 Lingfield
@ [5.4] (NB)
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