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The Arkle is a more interesting fixture than it usually looks to be as it’s a solid proving ground for Grade 3 winners or high-quality late-bloomers emerging off the novice circuit. Connections will see this one as a great opportunity for a betting score in lieu of just the ample prize money. The TBP market looks especially competitive in this one and, since we’re without a clear favourite, the win-only market retains value as well.
There is no genuine stand-out with Medermit, Ghizao and Finians Rainbow being the current fancies- all trading within the 5.0-6.0 range. Medermit was undone by Hell’s Bay in a New Year’s Day effort at...
Cue Card continues to shore up support in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle and this is generally the most over-played and difficult race to wager on, in this author’s opinion. The only genuine blemish on Cue Card’s record is the loss to Menorah in the Grade 2 International Hurdle back in December, Menorah is obviously heading for the Champion Hurdle so this has really opened thinsg up for the Colin Tizzard-trained gelding and but one wonders how he’ll manage being unraced since 2010.
Cue Card is commanding a price around 3.5 in the ante post exchanges and it is expected that he won’t be seen above 4.0 barring any negative news.
The action is well under way at Dohar Racecourse in Qatar and a talented cadre of turfists are set to contest this grassy 1m4f contest. There’s a lot to like about this group and it appears as though the key race for many of the field was the H.H. Heir Apparent Trophy, which ran over the same course at a 1m3f distance back in late January. The talented Irish-bred Qatar Derby-winner Beethoven (Oratorio) won on the day and many in this lot will be looking to rebound here.
Beethoven returns to defend his unbeaten Qatar record and he’ll have the venerable Seb Sanders in the irons once again. Expect him to go off at a very short price as the gamble appears to be who completes the exacta if Beethoven runs to potential once again.
We have another day of racing ahead of us in Dubai on Thursday as a number of classy contests are set to unfold at prestigious Meydan Racecourse. We have the usual assortment of high-class handicaps and the days card is anchored by the UAE Oaks where over £96,000 is up for grabs.
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Mike De Kock will be looking to get the day off with a bang in the opener – a short field of six going 1m2f on the grass. Hunting Tower (Fort Wood) produced a solid performance a few weeks back to score at Meydan for his first time in eight attempts. The nine year-old chestnut gelding was switched to Christophe Soumillon for the ride and the Frechman retains the mount here. Lolamar (Martino Alonso) scored on his Meydan debut and then ran a disappointing sixth in the Balanchine...
There is a precautionary inspection set for 8 am today at Fairyhouse and, if racing gets the go-ahead, we can expect heavy ground and the final three hurdles to be island hurdles, placed away from the inside rails for better ground. It could complicate things a bit but there is some genuinely intriguing racing set to unfold.
A pair of Grade 2 contests anchors the card and the 2:05 opener is the Winning Fair Juvenile Hurdle which goes 2m. Fearless Falcon has been knocking on the door at graded level for quite a while after stepping up following a victory at Thurles back in October. He’s finished on the board without winning in his past four contests and this includes a third-place finish at Fairyhouse when sent off at 14/1. The race sets up fairly nicely for him and he...
Tony McCoy is confirmed for the tight betting favourite Fistral Beach ahead of this weekend’s widely-anticipated Racing Post Chase at Kempton on Saturday. The Paul Nicholls-trained eight year-old enters the race off a victory at Wincanton in his seasonal debut back in early January. He had Nick Scholfield up that day and this one represents his first partnership with the BBC Sports Personality of the Year.
He didn’t achieve career-best figures to take that victory and it hinted that we’ve definitely not seen the bottom of him at this point. He’s won before at Kempton and that’s worth mentioning as he deserves a bit more credit than his last couple of races (barring the Wincanton score) might indicate. Fistral Beach trades around 5/1...
The Louisiana thoroughbred circuit for three year-olds has gotten a serious kick in the pants over the past while and we’ve got a very talented group of ten runners set to contest one of the key February Derby preps as the Risen Star Stakes headlines this Saturday’s card at Fair Grounds. The large field is sure to attract plenty of pari-mutuel volume and the exchanges will likely heat up for this high-profile contest, as well.
Ken McPeek’s Rogue Romance (Smarty Jones) will likely go off as the betting favourite and he’s only got a single blemish on his record –third-place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile. The $65,000 2009 Keeneland Spring Sale graduate is a Grade 3 stakes winner and is genuinely in the mix for the Derby if he pulls off a...
After a supremely eventful day at the races last week in Dubai, we’ve got plenty more action and excitement set to unfold on Thursday as the Dubai Racing Carnival will see another chapter written.
Most of the more intriguing races will be unfolding on the turf with the Group 2 Al Fahidi Fort Stakes set to feature along with leg 2 of the Meydan Masters and a listed contest for staying types going 1m6f.
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There’s a lot to like about this grassy 1m2f handicap and the fact that we only have to navigate an eight-horse field makes it even more appealing. Emmrooz (Red Ransom) ships in from Jebel Ali and gets back on the turf for the first time in two years. Sheikh Ahmed Bin Mohammed Al Maktoum has the talented, though underperforming, Enak (Orpen) set to...
It was a particularly wild weekend state-side as three of the top five Kentucky Derby contenders had their odds either dramatically-increased or eliminated altogether. The three key Derby-trail contests were the Robert B Lewis Stakes at Santa Anita, the El Camino Real Derby at Golden Gate Fields and the Sam F. Davis Stakes at Tampa Bay.
Boys At Tosconova (Officer) ran second to Uncle Mo (Indian Charlie) in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile but connections have reportedly pulled him from the Derby trail due to a non-career-threatening injury, but they were adamanet that he would definitely miss the Big Dance as a safety precaution. Boys had been unraced so far this season and there is a chance he could reappear at Saratoga if all goes well with the veteranians.
Living legend Zenyatta (Street Cry) has left for greener pastures and a broodmare career in Kentucky and this has blown the doors wide open in the older female division in California. A talented group of relatively high-profile fillies and mares line up looking to make a statement on the Santa Anita dirt with an eye towards those higher-profile Grade 1’s set to unfold later in the spring – races that Zenyatta had previously run roughshod over.
St Trinians (Piccolo) obviously gets plenty of attention heading into this one and it’s more or less guaranteed that the UK-bred six year-old will be the one to beat. She’s been laid off since last June when she ran second to the Big Z in the Grade 1 Vanity Handicap. Lay-offs have not been a problem for her...
