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LIKE Marmite you either love or hate the Shergar Cup at Ascot, as for me the biggest downside is the jockeys not being assimilated with the track riding here for the first or even second time.
The positives are that it is a vibrant event and for newcomers to the sport it means you can hang your hat on a team and identify with them. The restricted fields also are a plus for those jockeys visiting the track for the very first time.
So, for the purposes of this preview column I am going to go quite easy on my selections at the Berkshire track and focus my main selections elsewhere in the country today.
Starting at Ascot, I will be having a major bet at a massive price on TRUTHFUL in the mile-and-a-half handicap due off at 2.45.
This filly has plenty of potential and as long as this field goes a good pace early on, I can see her firing home off the final bend and picking off the faders one by one down the home stretch.
Yes, you could say her opening run this season in the Listed Aphrodite Stakes was a disappointment, but she fell out the stalls that day, and with three-and-a-half furlongs to go she had no chance being detached last of the 13 runners. But once push came to shove on the daughter of Sea The Stars, she motored home to finish a never nearer sixth, beaten 10-and-a-half lengths and I think that she is massively overpriced here at odds of 33/1, and has most to fear from the Alan King trained Insanity and bottom weight Set Point.
My only other wager on the card will come in the three-year-old sprint handicap due off at 3.20. JARRAAF is a really solid favourite here and I will be surprised if he cannot take the scalps of his 11 rivals. I thought that he was hugely impressive when dismissing the course specialist fresh off a mark of 87 over the course and distance last time out, and although this obviously requires a bit more off a mark of 95 in a much better race, the son of Zoustar has any amount of improvement in him.
There is a cracking card at Haydock Park this afternoon headlined by the Group Three Rose of Lancaster Stakes (3.00).
The prolific Lord North takes a significant drop in grade after running in 11 of his last 13 starts at either Group One or Two level, but I think the bookmakers have priced him accordingly for this and the bet against him has to be last year’s winner ANMAAT.
I am not the least bit worried about his absence from the race track (439 days) as he must be a clean winded horse with his immense record when fresh, and this will be only his 13th career start and there could be more to come from last year’s Group One Prix d’Ispahan hero.
The big race on the card at the Merseyside track is the opening handicap at 2.25 — part of the London Mile series — which offers an outstanding chance to THEME PARK (nap) to follow up his last-gasp win at York last time out. On that occasion, Rowan Scott didn’t get the best of runs on the four-year-old, but still managed to get up close home. A 4lbs penalty is very fair in the circumstances and I think he probably has most to worry about from the well handicapped Golspie.
Further down the card, have a second look at MYAL in the second division at 5.20. This son of Al Kazeem has only had four career starts, but judging on his rallying run last time out at Doncaster over six furlongs, the step up to this extended distance looks made to measure for him on what should be perfect ground conditions.
I will be having one bet at Redcar this afternoon in the form of old Boy MAKANAH in the sprint handicap at 3.47. Very much in the veteran stage at the age of nine, the handicapper has finally dropped him to a winning mark of just 83 and with Tom Kiely-Marshall taking a further 7lbs off his back, he looks a massively solid each-way play here.
The Group Three Sweet Solera Stakes (3.40) is the big race on the Newmarket card and Aidan O’Brien’s Lake Victoria looks sure to start a short-priced favourite, following debut success over the very well-regarded Red Letter at the Curragh. Both the second and the fourth have gone on to win since then so the form is solid, but I think that the Hugo Palmer trained DREAM VOYAGE could be over priced at around the 16/1 mark.
She relished the tough six furlongs when winning her novice at Salisbury second time up, and still has a massive amount of improvement in her having run very green in that race when she was asked fro her effort by Oisin Murphy. Rossa Ryan takes over this afternoon and I think she will outrun her price by some way up the final climb here.
Finally, with plenty of rain forecast for Ayr at the back end of this week, I think we will get a huge run from RAVENSCRAIG CASTLE in the mile-and-a-quarter handicap at 7.12. You could argue that this 10 furlong trip is a shade on the short side for this six-year-old, but any give in the ground will be a massive plus for this son of Nathaniel, and a handicap mark of just 72 is very much within her capabilities having last won off 73 and placed off 83 and 84.
