Wooden Hurt To Have a Bath Double

Small field are again the order of the day on Thursday, and opportunities to find an angle look thin on the ground. Sir Mark Prescott should farm a couple at Bath, but the last 2 races on that card are more interesting, and look to provide some betting ammunition.

The 1m handicap at 17:00 is competitive enough, with recent C&D winner Devon Diva looking to make all again, and sure to be popular. She's got every chance of getting to the front again, but didn't have to break the clock in scoring last time, and will struggle to follow up if others keep her honest in front. Michael Murphy will try to conserve energy on John Gallagher's mare, but she is likely to set this up for something else, and the one which fits the bill is topweight Squirrel Wood.

Mary Hambro's mare has only recently returned from the yard of George Baker, for whom she posted a career-best effort to finish a close second to Just Isla, with Do More Business third. If Squirrel Wood was still in Baker's care, I'd expect her to go off a 6/4 shot, but even if you don't rate the trainer, it's hard to imagine a few days will make any difference to how she runs here, and she should be considered to have been conditioned by her previous handler for this. That being the case, and with a step up in trip sure to suit (she stays 13f) she looks decidedly overpriced at 3/1. With the Brighton form looking solid, it may well be that Do More Business represents the biggest danger, and should be played accordingly.

The closing sprint handicap features some of the usual suspects, with a pair who find winning difficult, Catalinas Diamond and Ridgeway Sapphire, of interest in handicapping terms, but arguably best played as part of an exotics strategy. Preference is for the well-treated Wooden King, who is confidently expected to bounce back to winning ways. This dual C&D winner scored off an 8 lb higher mark at Salisbury last summer, and signalled a revival when second to Dreams of Glory over 5f here last time, with Volito (who reopposes on the same terms) just behind in third.

With several front runners in the line-up, Wooden King should be able to tuck in, before striking as the leaders flag, and if Matthew Lawson can get his timing right, he should be able to get a jump on the closers, with Volito, Catalinas Diamond and Ridgeway Sapphire all expected to finish off well, but hopefully too late to reel in the selection. As always, profits can be enhanced by judicious forecast betting, and the trio mentioned are worth playing in exactas (or even trifectas) underneath the main pick.  

Recommendations:

Both at Bath

Back Squirrel Wood @ [4.0] in the 17:00 (NAP)

Back Wooden King @ [3.6] in the 17:30 (NB)

Hall Can Earn His Oats

The second contest at Cartmel looks easily the most competitive on the card, with no less than 7 of the 13 runners having hit the frame last time. It’s currently a 4-way go at the head of the market, with Another Trump a slightly surprising favourite at the current time. The 9-y-o certainly hails from a yard in hot form, but most of the recent winners from the O’Neill yard have been unexposed sorts, and Another Trump has got plenty of mileage on his clock.

A winner at Huntingdon in October, he’s rather lost his way since, which isn’t always a worry for runners from this yard, but he bled from the nose when running poorly on his return, and once a horse starts breaking blood vessels, it’s hard to be confident as to what they can deliver on the track.

Nez Rouge is another with physical problems, which has seen him race only 15 times, despite being well into the veteran stage. He’s staged a mini-revival on his last 2 starts over hurdles, but often cuts out quickly in his races, and Cartmel is no place for a weak finisher with its protracted run in.

King Mak has claims if taking to headgear, but there’s always a worry that blinkers will cause him to race too freely in front, and he’s not the heartiest in a battle, despite pulling victory from the jaws of defeat at Market Rasen last summer.

That leaves Executive’s Hall of the quartet at the head of the market, and he looks absolutely rock solid, for all he was beaten in a selling hurdle over C&D 2 starts back. That was a very competitive race for the grade, and he fared best of those held up. With a strong pace looking likely, he should get the run of things, and looks a banker to hit the frame at least.

At bigger odds, I was also intrigued by the claims of the unexposed The Mongolian.   The daughter of Presenting hails from a family that Martin Todhunter knows well, as she’s related to the redoubtable Better Times Ahead, who was the last winner saddled by the much-missed Gordon W Richards, for whom Todhunter acted as travelling head man. When Todhunter set up on his own, Better Times Ahead’s owner/breeder Ted Briggs was one of his earliest supporters, and The Mongolian has been brought on in a way which would certainly please “The Gaffer”, with no serious questions being asked of her in qualifying runs. An opening mark of 82 doesn’t look very harsh on bare form, and she’s bred to do much better in time, so looks one to be interested in now handicapping, particularly now taking a further step up in trip.

In the 15:55, Alba King is a strong favourite having won with something to spare at Southwell last time, but that was a weak race in truth, and his overall record suggests he’s not at all certain to back that form up. His strength in the betting does at least make Soul Magic look a backable price, and this course specialist is worth a bet at current odds. A 5-time winner from 8 starts over C&D, he can be forgiven a rare poor effort last time, when heavy ground wasn’t ideal. He actually travelled well enough for most of the race to suggest he was in good form before the tacky conditions proved his undoing. Expect a better showing on going with good in the description today.

Recommendations:

All at Cartmel

Back Executives Hall @ [6.8] & The Mongolian @ [29.0] in the 14:45   

Back Soul Magic @ [5.1] in the 15:55

Take Atriptomilan

Best bet of the day at Uttoxeter is the Jonjo O'Neill-trained Atriptomilan in the 15:50, who has been underestimated by the 'tissue' compilers, and looks sure to show much improved form now tackling handicap company over fences for the first time. The O'Neill protocol is well established, and it's unusual for such a dark horse to slip through the net. Bought for £190,000 after winning a maiden Irish point on a sound surface, he's merely been marking time over hurdles for his new yard, and was given a very considerate introduction to chasing at Newton Abbot last time under Dominic Elsworth.

There's no doubt that if the name A. P. McCoy appeared alongside his name in the racecard, that bookmakers around the country would be running for cover, but it may be that the cynics are missing a trick here. The booking of Richie McLernon for a Jonjo runner when McCoy is available is invariably seen as a negative, and that's usually a valid point, but McLernon's role with the horses owned by Mr & Mrs Peter Bond needs to be taken into account. McLernon is heavily involved in sourcing and buying horses for the Bonds, and his other half is Harriet, their daughter. It's no surprise that he's ridden nearly five times as often for the owners than McCoy has in recent years, and he's the only jockey to have ridden a winner in Mrs Bond's now familiar Royal Blue silks in recent years, with Portofino Wasp a recent example.

So we've established that Atriptomilan is Richie McLernon's mount by default, and it's not hard to argue that he's potentially thrown in from an opening mark of 100, which is very lenient based on the manner of his point win from a subsequent bumper winner. In recent days, Jonjo has won races with American Legend, Whistling Senator, Bold Raider & Favoured Nation, all of whom were showing improved form for a switch away from easy ground, and with 2 of them wearing first-time headgear. Atriptomilan fits that profile almost perfectly, with cheekpieces and a tongue tie a new combination, and a ready-made reason for an improved performance.

At Worcester this evening, Dune Shine (19:55) looks a sound investment in the selling handicap hurdle which is big on numbers, but low on quality. The Karinga Bay gelding was backed as if defeat was out of the question at Newton Abbot in May, only to unseat when travelling ominously. He's been left on the same mark, and will surely go close to making amends in a race where his main market rivals look eminently beatable. Spice Hill has been thrashed in points for Tim Vaughan's brother William this year, and simply looks of little account, while Saga de Tercy blatantly downed tools at Hexham last time, and is one to avoid. The most interesting one against the favourite is Ali Brewer's Herminella, who was placed over C&D a year ago and has been set aside for a summer campaign.

She's only moderate, but the operation Brewer runs with her partner Sam Stronge has hit form in the last couple of weeks, and recent winners Meetings Man and Proud Times have both been revitalised since switching from bigger yards. The Castle Piece stable is one which will become increasingly familiar to punters in the coming months, but for now they are flying very much under the radar, and Herminella will be overpriced this evening.

Recommendations:

Back Atriptomilan @ [5.5] in the 15:50 Uttoxeter (NAP)

Back Dune Shine @ [3.8] & Herminella @ [19.0] in the 19:55 Worcester

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Opt In To Opt Out

After the excesses of Saturday's racing, we're back to the relative famine familiar to summer racing aficionados, with just one scheduled Flat meeting in the afternoon. That meeting comes at Ayr, which is rarely less than tricky, but looks to offer up a couple of decent opportunities today.

The 6f handicap at 15:00 is an attractive betting event with half the field arriving on the back of modest efforts, and a couple not sure to be suited by conditions. Only 4 are of interest to me in terms of recent form, and those are Diamondhead, Circuitous, Rich Again and Opt Out. The first-named pair were second and third in a well-run event at Carlisle last month, and Circuitous went on to advertise the form of that contest when winning at the same venue last time. On revised terms, though Ed de Giles' runner should confirm earlier placings, and looks rock-solid.

Rich Again has continually caught the eye since a good second on Lingfield's polytrack in January, running respectably from poor draws on his next couple of starts, and stopped in his run when third to Pea Shooter after a break at Haydock a week ago. He'll come on for that, and remains relatively unexposed compared to most of his rivals here. The one who appeals most at current odds, however, is Opt Out.

Alistair Whillans' gelding is certainly not as solid an option as the trio mentioned above, and gets the Timeform squiggle to boot, but he's not short of ability, and hinted strongly at a return to form at Musselburgh last time. Opt Out travelled well in a race won by Red Baron at Musselburgh last time, but was never allowed to open up fully, with his rider switching on several occasions. Whether he met as much trouble as it seemed is open to debate, but he crossed the line with running left, and is clearly in good heart. His overall record suggests he's not certain to repeat that, but he needs to be backed at odds north of 20/1 currently.

How, or indeed whether, to save on the selection is worth some thought, and I would consider Diamondhead and Rich Again the main dangers, with the aforementioned Circuitous sure to give his running, and the veteran Beckermet arguably too big in the betting. Including the 5 in small-stakes exotics would be the way I'd go myself, but as the theme tune for Diff'rent Strokes goes "the world don't move to the beat of just one drum; what might be right for you, may not be right for some", and who could argue with that succinct wisdom?

The underrated Ed de Giles has double claims on the card, with Twenty One Choice holding solid claims in the 7f handicap at 16:00. This likeable gelding remains open to further progress, and was better than the bare result over a stiff 1m at Ascot last time, finishing a creditable fifth in any case, but looking value for a better position until his stamina ebbed away close home. The extended 7f at Ayr will suit this strong traveller ideally, and he's a confident choice to get back to winning ways from an identical mark.

In the 15:30, Strong Man is sure to go close in his bid to defy a penalty for winning at Catterick 5 days ago, but it's worth having a small interest on Eilean Mor (pronounced Ellen More, and Scots Gaelic for big island, rather than "Big Eileen", wich is not a kind thing to call a poor gelding). Mike Smith's charge was sent off at huge odds over 1m here a week ago, but was only narrowly beaten by a well-treated rival. That will be viewed as a fluke by most, but the performance is backed up by a respectable timefigure, and he can reward each-way support.

Recommendations:

All at Ayr

Back Opt Out @ [29.0] in the 15:00 (NAP)

Back Eilean Mor @ [8.6] in the 15:30

Back Twenty One Choice @ [3.35] in the 16:00 (NB)

Are You Having A Laff?

Perth put on a decent day's racing on Thursday, and is one of the tracks which is genuinely ideal as a summer jumps venue, which in itself is a blessing for a track which would struggle if confined to racing within the timeframe of the "proper" jumps season. It's no surprise that the Tayside venue has proven so popular for Irish raiders in recent years, and several of the races on today's card are marked for export again.

While the man to follow at Perth as a rule is Gordon Elliott, as evidenced once again by a treble on Wednesday, there are other less familar names who are capable of stealing the spotlight, and one of those is Skerries handler Karl Thornton, who has made a decent start to his training career since taking over from his father Sean in late-2011. 15 of the trainer's 33 runners over jumps since that time have made the frame, which is no mean feat, given how competitive low-grade racing can be.

He sends a trio of runners over to compete at Perth today, and by far the most interesting is the ex-Charlie Mann inmate Sum Laff (16:30), who looks worth an interest from what could be a lenient mark. His best effort to date came when winning a beginners' chase over this trip at Ludlow in October, and he was far from disgraced on unsuitably soft ground at Wincanton next time, when a couple of late blunders stopped him finishing on the heels of the front pair. The horse he beat at Ludlow now has a BHA mark of 127, while the Wincanton winner Fairy Rath is rated 132. On balance, a rating of 110 for Sum Laff looks very fair indeed, even if taking a cautious view of his Ludlow win. A recent run over hurdles will have served merely to tighten him up fitness-wise, and this free-goer is now fitted with a hood for the first time.

The field he faces here is far from exceptional for the grade, with the penalised Sergeant Pink opposable after winning a similar contest narrowly yesterday, while Hawaii Klass looked woefully short of pace over C&D last time, and is sure to trade much bigger than his pre-race price, even if bouncing back. The favourite, Be My Deputy, is a likeable sort but he was placed to maximum advantage by Richard Guest earlier in the year, and it won't be easy for Lucinda Russell to squeeze much more out of him. The pair I fear are Civil Unrest, who is more likely to run a stinker, but does have the raw talent to win from his current mark if getting his own way, and the veteran Lord Redsgirth, who was a C&D winner off a 6 lb higher mark last spring, and shaped as on the way back under an overly-aggressive ride here last time. With that pair and Be My Deputy all likely to race to the fore, though, they may compromise each other, and a strong pace will suit the selection ideally. He's too big at around 8/1.

In the following contest at 17:00, Solway Dandy looks sure to appreciate the step up in trip, and can score one for the "home" team, in this case the Wigton yard of Lisa Harrison. The son of Danroad is out of the Harrison's Minster Son mare Solway Rose who stayed well in excess of 3 miles herself, and Solway Dandy's form at the minimum trip is as good as anything in today's field can muster. He fared best of those to race off the pace when seven lengths second of 14 to Momkinzain in a novice handicap here in May, and the extra yardage will bring about further progress if he arrives in the same heart. On the evidence of that last run, he should be a clear favourite, and is worth backing at morning odds of around 4/1, which look very much on the generous side.

Recommendations:
Both at Perth

Back Sum Laff @ [9.2] in the 16:30 (NAP)
Back Solway Dandy @ [5.0] in the 17:00 (NB)