It's been a while since up since updating my blogg and I'll be honest I've missed it even if the odd few out in cyberspace bother to read it. The truth is I've been here and there and everywhere but I'm now back and am ready to deliver a truly bumper card, sticking the proverbial neck on the line across both cards.
Before I start though I must mention just how impressed I am by the three year old colt Camelot, I had my reservations I have to admit but he is simply brilliant and will land the triple crown. I also was impressed by a truly breathtaking ride from Hayley Turner on Caledonia Lady on Saturday, she took a brave route but landed a very competing sprint on Saturday at Sandown Park a brilliant ride.
Finally, when the rain is here and with a little juice in the ground John Gosden is the man to be on, some how his horses seem to love it. More importantly than that though he is quite simply a legend. An articulate, precise, thorough thinker of the game and a man I could listen too all hours of the day. His partnership with Wiliam Buick is quite simply electric at this moment in time. Nathaniel was a brilliant winner of this years coral eclipse!
On with the card...
Newmarket
1.40pm Casino Handicap 1m
First race of the day and because of the awful June/Juky we've had the ground is unsurprisingly a little on the heavy side. Ralph Beckett looks to have the answer here in the shape of COMPTON at a nice each way price. This horse ran a very credible race at Ascot last time out in a very competitive handicap. The Compton place gelding looks to be improving and the mile looks the desired trip. The trainer is in fine form and with the powerful Jimmy Fortune on board this horse will be in with a great chance. I believe this three year old is on the upgrade and ready to strike at a big each way price.
2.10pm Superlative Stakes 7f Class 1
The obvious choice here is Olympic Glory with his superb performance in the Coventry Stakes behind the talented Dawn Approach but will he handle the ground, plus the extra furlong seems to be hard to get a complete handle on this horse so I won't be tipping it. Alternatively I'm looking at a horse who has won nicely in both his last two starts, a horse that wont mind the ground and still looking progressive and that horse is MAXENTIUS out of Holy Roman Emperor which illustrates the need for cut in the ground, a horse who showed an excellent turn of foot over this trip at Doncaster last time out. MAXENTIUS looks a progressive type and with the jockey William Buick who is in such good form that I would potentially back him blind at the moment it looks like the trainer Peter Chapple Hyam could extend his winning streak this July.
2.40pm Banbury Handicap 7f
This is going to be a very tough race to solve, not only because the ground is testing but if they split which side has the quicker ground?, will they stay down the middle? and how important could the draw be here? Then the form comes into play so I'm just gonna stick to my guns here and tip two that I feel have a great chance. It's taken me the best part of the morning to sort this conundrum. Some of these look positively exposed and that poses the question about weight and how much they carry will certainly play a part here that's why I'm looking at STEVIE THUNDER he looks particularly well off at the weights but also has some excellent form in the book on testing ground. He also ran a credible race in the Royal Hunt Cup at Royal Ascot and previous to that he has won over this trip on heavy ground. Carrying 9 3lbs looks set to put a big performance in here, Ryan Clarke the apprentice claiming 3 could certainly post a big win here. Mick Channon's charge ATLANTIC SPORT also looks an interesting runner finishing 3rd in the Buckingham Palace stakes at Royal Ascot. Although Jamsie beat him in that race I always like horses that win and he indeed won his last race in a battling never say die attitude on testing ground and that could make the difference with this horse.
3.20pm Darley July Cup 6f
A real shame that the ground has made this a less high profile affair with my favourite sprinter Bated Breath a non runner due to conditions under foot. However, it makes this a much more evenly matched affair and one that still seems to be under the radar is undoubtedly DANDY BOY. His run at Royal Ascot in the Wokingham Stakes has to be the best form on offer here, the turn of foot and pace at which he stretched the field was breathtaking and was certainly one of my favourite performances of the meeting this year. Going over the 6f here will play into this horses strengths as the ground will make this a test of stamina more than anything and DANDY BOY who usually runs over further will be happy with that. David Marnane the trainer is an astute man and if he has this horse primed and ready I'm certain he'll be hard to beat!. I also love SOCIETY ROCK this Rock of Gibraltor colt loves a bit of cut and has been in excellent form this season, he ran well at Ascot last time out and is a group one winner mixing it with the best out there. I really can't see this James Fanshawe trained horse finishing out of the top three. SOCIETY ROCK ticks all the right boxes for class, for ground and has form at the track so I'm definitely backing him.
York
3.00pm John Smiths Cup 1m 2f
The ground at York is a little on the easy side but not as heavy as Newmarket. It may still pay to back the horses you feel will handle this ground and I will be doing so again at York. Again, a big field, a tricky conundrum but value to be had and money to be made! NAVAJO CHIEF is a horse I really like trained by Alan Jarvis this Kings Best gelding ran a blinder last time out on soft ground at York beating Area Fifty One that do who lines up again here. NAVAJO CHIEF is running off a career high mark of 105 but with the jockey young Michael Murphy taking off a valuable 7 pounds then I believe that brings him right back into contention, the extra two furlongs will suit in this type of ground and at 14/1 he is a great each way proposition.
3.35pm John Smiths City Walls Stakes 5f
CALEDONIA LADY can take here excellent win at Sandown last weekend into this bigger stakes race, similar quality of runners in my opinion so I have no doubt that another big run is on the cards. Hayley Turner who rides her again today threaded this horse through the eye of a needle to land that race last weekend and I was quite taken by her turn of foot in the last furlong on soft ground. CALEDONIA LADY is underrated in my opinion and with a nice weight a good draw here I believe she has every chance to make it two out of two a three year old lovely filly on the up!.
Before I start though I must mention just how impressed I am by the three year old colt Camelot, I had my reservations I have to admit but he is simply brilliant and will land the triple crown. I also was impressed by a truly breathtaking ride from Hayley Turner on Caledonia Lady on Saturday, she took a brave route but landed a very competing sprint on Saturday at Sandown Park a brilliant ride.
Finally, when the rain is here and with a little juice in the ground John Gosden is the man to be on, some how his horses seem to love it. More importantly than that though he is quite simply a legend. An articulate, precise, thorough thinker of the game and a man I could listen too all hours of the day. His partnership with Wiliam Buick is quite simply electric at this moment in time. Nathaniel was a brilliant winner of this years coral eclipse!
On with the card...
Newmarket
1.40pm Casino Handicap 1m
First race of the day and because of the awful June/Juky we've had the ground is unsurprisingly a little on the heavy side. Ralph Beckett looks to have the answer here in the shape of COMPTON at a nice each way price. This horse ran a very credible race at Ascot last time out in a very competitive handicap. The Compton place gelding looks to be improving and the mile looks the desired trip. The trainer is in fine form and with the powerful Jimmy Fortune on board this horse will be in with a great chance. I believe this three year old is on the upgrade and ready to strike at a big each way price.
2.10pm Superlative Stakes 7f Class 1
The obvious choice here is Olympic Glory with his superb performance in the Coventry Stakes behind the talented Dawn Approach but will he handle the ground, plus the extra furlong seems to be hard to get a complete handle on this horse so I won't be tipping it. Alternatively I'm looking at a horse who has won nicely in both his last two starts, a horse that wont mind the ground and still looking progressive and that horse is MAXENTIUS out of Holy Roman Emperor which illustrates the need for cut in the ground, a horse who showed an excellent turn of foot over this trip at Doncaster last time out. MAXENTIUS looks a progressive type and with the jockey William Buick who is in such good form that I would potentially back him blind at the moment it looks like the trainer Peter Chapple Hyam could extend his winning streak this July.
2.40pm Banbury Handicap 7f
This is going to be a very tough race to solve, not only because the ground is testing but if they split which side has the quicker ground?, will they stay down the middle? and how important could the draw be here? Then the form comes into play so I'm just gonna stick to my guns here and tip two that I feel have a great chance. It's taken me the best part of the morning to sort this conundrum. Some of these look positively exposed and that poses the question about weight and how much they carry will certainly play a part here that's why I'm looking at STEVIE THUNDER he looks particularly well off at the weights but also has some excellent form in the book on testing ground. He also ran a credible race in the Royal Hunt Cup at Royal Ascot and previous to that he has won over this trip on heavy ground. Carrying 9 3lbs looks set to put a big performance in here, Ryan Clarke the apprentice claiming 3 could certainly post a big win here. Mick Channon's charge ATLANTIC SPORT also looks an interesting runner finishing 3rd in the Buckingham Palace stakes at Royal Ascot. Although Jamsie beat him in that race I always like horses that win and he indeed won his last race in a battling never say die attitude on testing ground and that could make the difference with this horse.
3.20pm Darley July Cup 6f
A real shame that the ground has made this a less high profile affair with my favourite sprinter Bated Breath a non runner due to conditions under foot. However, it makes this a much more evenly matched affair and one that still seems to be under the radar is undoubtedly DANDY BOY. His run at Royal Ascot in the Wokingham Stakes has to be the best form on offer here, the turn of foot and pace at which he stretched the field was breathtaking and was certainly one of my favourite performances of the meeting this year. Going over the 6f here will play into this horses strengths as the ground will make this a test of stamina more than anything and DANDY BOY who usually runs over further will be happy with that. David Marnane the trainer is an astute man and if he has this horse primed and ready I'm certain he'll be hard to beat!. I also love SOCIETY ROCK this Rock of Gibraltor colt loves a bit of cut and has been in excellent form this season, he ran well at Ascot last time out and is a group one winner mixing it with the best out there. I really can't see this James Fanshawe trained horse finishing out of the top three. SOCIETY ROCK ticks all the right boxes for class, for ground and has form at the track so I'm definitely backing him.
York
3.00pm John Smiths Cup 1m 2f
The ground at York is a little on the easy side but not as heavy as Newmarket. It may still pay to back the horses you feel will handle this ground and I will be doing so again at York. Again, a big field, a tricky conundrum but value to be had and money to be made! NAVAJO CHIEF is a horse I really like trained by Alan Jarvis this Kings Best gelding ran a blinder last time out on soft ground at York beating Area Fifty One that do who lines up again here. NAVAJO CHIEF is running off a career high mark of 105 but with the jockey young Michael Murphy taking off a valuable 7 pounds then I believe that brings him right back into contention, the extra two furlongs will suit in this type of ground and at 14/1 he is a great each way proposition.
3.35pm John Smiths City Walls Stakes 5f
CALEDONIA LADY can take here excellent win at Sandown last weekend into this bigger stakes race, similar quality of runners in my opinion so I have no doubt that another big run is on the cards. Hayley Turner who rides her again today threaded this horse through the eye of a needle to land that race last weekend and I was quite taken by her turn of foot in the last furlong on soft ground. CALEDONIA LADY is underrated in my opinion and with a nice weight a good draw here I believe she has every chance to make it two out of two a three year old lovely filly on the up!.
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