Wednesday 25th May
Nothing on Wednesday
Thursday 26th May
Sandown’s evening fixture is the highlight of Thursday racing, and I don’t have anything for the afternoon meetings.
In the listed National Stakes (6:15) Crispy Cat will take all the beating after going down by just a head to Blackbeard in a listed event at the Curragh last time out. That form has been franked with the winner following up in the Group 3 Marble Hill Stakes and gets the nod over Tajalla who an impressive winner on his Newmarket debut. I’m hardly going out on a limb as it is around 2/9 the pair, so
no bet.
The Group 3 Henry II Stakes (6:50) looks a race to swerve with Thunderous looking the best on the race terms, but I don’t like backing Johnston runners after a quick turnaround, none of the other appeal in what looks a below-par race for the grade. If anything, Euchen Glen could be under-estimated at 14/1 with three places, I’m just not sure he is at his best over two miles, but he has won a Shergar Cup
Stayers and been beaten a nose in the Northumberland Vase at the trip. No bet
In contrast the feature race, the Brigadier Gerard Stakes looks a good quality renewal. It looks to be a match between Addeybb and Mostahdaf, the former 5lbs well-in under the race conditions having not won a group race since August. He goes well after a break, but this might be a warm-up for Royal Ascot, while Mostahdaf comes here off the back of winning the Gordon
Richards Stakes over CD last month. Bay Bridge has a bit to find on official ratings, but the colt looks a typical improver for a yard that has won four of the last ten renewals with four different horses with similar profiles to Bay Bridge, who has to be taken seriously. It will be disappointing for the ten-furlong race season if one of those three doesn’t win, but I don’t have a betting angle other than that I’m surprised
Addeybb is the outsider of the three, maybe I’ve missed an off-putting quote from William Haggas.
In the finale (8:35) I might forgive Two Tempting for mugging us of a win with Fiorina last week (she runs earlier in the evening at Carlisle – see below). The pair pulled clear of the field, that win should prove to be solid form and the New Bay gelding has a chance to follow-up as he escapes a penalty for last week’s win:
Sandown 4:35 – TWO TEMPTING – 1 point win @ 9/2 (Hills, 4/1 Bet365)
Carlisle’s evening card kicks off with back-to-back two-year-old races and Double O (4:40) and can get favourite backers off to a winning start. Sol Cayo (5:15) has an each-way chance in the second.
The colours of Lituus are far more recognised in staying chases with the likes of Imperial Commander but he is interesting in the 0-55 handicap (5:50). Based on the second of his two turf starts he is potentially much better than this grade. Fourth in a Redcar novice over 7f last season, he ran better than the bare form as he raced too keenly early on. All of his eight rivals are now rated 60+. His final start of 2021 was too bad to be true
when finishing last at Wolverhampton. Lituus showed a bit more encouragement on seasonal debut at Newcastle when fourth of ten under a sympathetic ride. He's hardly nap material on what he’s shown so far, but neither is anything else and at a price I think he's worth chancing:
Carlisle 5:55 – LITUUS – 1 point win @ 6/1 (several firms)
Detective (7:35) is remarkably consistent for a 0-75 handicapper having finished in the first two in two-thirds of his starts on turf. Already a winner twice this season, including at the track earlier this month, he is attempting beyond 1m 3f for the first time, but it’s worth trying to seek further improvement. With the question mark over stamina, I wouldn’t be wading it at 4/9 though. Second favourite,
Zoffee drops in grade for this after not being disgraced over the trip in a muddling four-runner race at Salisbury last time out on his first start for Hugo Palmer. He hasn’t finished in the first two now on all three starts beyond 12 furlongs on the flay, but maybe the change of yard will bring about improvement.
I was tempted to give Fiorina another chance (7:00) after the filly just failed to land a gamble for us at Kempton last week. The daughter of Showcasing improved with each of three runs as a two-year-old, the last of which she finished fourth on her first attempt at a mile. The winner has won again since and is now rated [86]. Fiorina has been raised 6lbs for that nose defeat, but the front pair pulled clear of the pack, and
she should be up to winning off [80]. However, the Queen’s Discretion won a novice event at Beverley conceding a 7lbs (riders claim) to Yummylicious who won well last week and is due to go up 4lbs. With that in mind, regrettably I will have to leave at 15/8 each.