Gimcrack Stakes Tips

Kevin Ryan sent out Amadeus Wolf to land the Scottish Equitable Gimcrack Stakes last season and is taken to repeat the dose this season with the once-raced He's A Humbug, who is a 7/2 chance with Bluesquare to capture this Group 2 prize. There will be an added premium on stamina in this six-furlong contest owing to the good to soft going. Although He's A Humbug, like all of his rivals, is unproven on such a surface, he is by Tagula, whose progeny tend to appreciate cut in the ground, while he is also proven at the trip, unlike most of these. Indeed, of the six-strong field, only He's A Humbug and Bodes Galaxy had won over six furlongs. Two of the market leaders in this contest, Elhamri and He's A Humbug's stablemate Wi Dud, have yet to race beyond five furlongs and, given that both possess so much natural speed, there has to be a doubt about either seeing out this extra fulong under the prevailing conditions. It is highly significant that stable jockey Neil Callan has chose to partner Thirsk maiden winner He's A Humbug over Wi Dud, who has proven Group form having just lost out against Nunthorpe hope Enticing in a Group 3 at Glorious Goodwood. Clearly, He's A Humbug, who impressed when running out an easy three-and-a-half length winner on his debut, is held in high regard by connections. He is the most inexperienced horse in the race, but has much more going for him than most, and gets a confident verdict to come out on top in a race which, to be fair, isn't strong by its standard. Wi Dud ran a cracking race when just pipped by Enticing in the aforementioned race at Goodwood. He is very speedy juvenile - he has the top speed figure in this race to prove it - but the fact that the trip/ground is such an imponderable, and that Callan has opted for He's A Humbug, means that he has too many questions to answer in the context of this event. Elhamri has solid form and proved his mettle when landing the ultra-competitive Weatherbys Super Sprint at Newbury latest. But Sylvester Kirk's charge was way below par on his only start on ground softer than good, which has to be a concern, while the give underfoot looks certain to blunt the speed of Bodes Galaxy. Armigerent possesses bits of form that would bring him firmly into the reckoning, but he is ultimately starting to look disappointing, and he is comparatively exposed. Conquest cannot be ruled out with total confidence, but speed looks to be the name of his game and, as such, he is yet another that could find the combination of this ground and trip stretching his stamina.