Friday 22nd April
Just one bet on Friday and a winning one with Wootton'Sun (WON 9/1) despite a late market drift from 6/1. We have Paul Hanagan to thank for the return as I have no idea how he managed to win, his mount racing far too keenly and hanging badly off the bend. Wootton'Sun continued to run green up the straight and Hanagan could have been excused if he had just nursed the colt home and put it
down to experience. Amazing piece of horsemanship.
Saturday 23rd April
A lot of bets advised for Saturday, potentially 10+ points to advised stakes, so depending on your 'betting bank', you may prefer to put selections in multiples.
Low-key but competitive racing at Haydock, in the 0-70 six-furlong handicap (1:30) I’m taking a chance on Dream Together to reverse last time out places with After John. Dream Together is now 4lbs below his last win a year ago in a 0-80 at Thirsk and has run better than the bare form of his last three runs suggest. He did well to finish fourth at Thirsk, when After John was second,
last time out as he tracked across to the stands side from a low draw and with hindsight, he would have been better off staying where he was. Three starts back, the race in-between being a failed attempt at 7f, did well to finish third at Pontefract after going too hard up front and again being poorly positioned. The Dream Ahead gelding can win off his current mark at this level, the only slight negative is that Jack Garritty again takes the ride, and he was responsible for the two
tactical errors referred to above:
Haydock 1:30 – DREAM TOGETHER – 1 point win @ 5/1 (Bet365; 4/1 Hills)
Later on the card, Baldomero (3:45) looks interesting back on turf for the first time since he left Joseph O’Brien. He’s done well on the AW over the winter, winning a slowly run ten-furlong Kempton handicap before missing out by a head in the Lincoln Trial at Wolverhampton, winner won well again since. This is a competitive race, but Baldomero looks a fair price:
Haydock 3:45 – BALDOMERO – 1 point win @ 9/2 (generally)
At Ripon, Insolente (1:45) can get off the mark at the second attempt after a decent fourth at Redcar on debut in a race that is working out well already with the winner and runner-up both winning since. I have her ahead of her market rivals on these terms and she should go well:
Ripon 1:45 – INSOLENTE – 1 point win @ 15/8 (generally)
A Boy Named Ivy (2:20) last won a year ago but off his current mark [83] he ran off the same mark last time out when second in the Spring Mile at Doncaster, the third boosted the form when winning next time out. Michael Dods’s gelding has everything in place for a bold show here:
Ripon 2:20 – A BOY NAMED IVY – 1 point win @ 3/1 (several firms)
One that we were on a couple of times last year, goes in the Ripon Silver Sprint Trophy Handicap (4:00). He will find this assignment fairer than his last turf start when taken off his feet in the Nunthorpe at York. A progressive handicap sprinter as a three-year-old when encountering a decent surface, he can defy a career-high [100] mark after an encouraging seasonal debut when second at Lingfield earlier in the month:
Ripon 4:00 – BEDFORD FLYER – 1 point win @ 11/4 (Bet365; 5/2 others)
In the last at Leicester (4:56), I’m keen on Roger Varian’s Kitsune Power on seasonal debut. He caught the eye as a juvenile when performing well while still looking green in three starts. On his second start he was a close fourth at Ffos Las, beaten only 1½ lengths by the (amended) winner Evocative Spark, who bolted-up at Beverley on Thursday off [78] and an opening mark of [73] for Kitsune Power suggests he is
well-treated:
Leicester 4:56 – KITSUNE POWER – 1 point win @ 9/2 (generally)
ALREADY ADVISED AT SANDOWN:
Sandown 1:50 – WHIZZ KID – ½ point win @ 13/2 (now 6/1)
Sandown 1:50 – DOCTOR PARNASSUS – ½ point win @ 15/2 (now 13/2)
Sandown 3:00 – GREANETEEN – 1 point win @ 13/8 (generally)
Sandown 3:32 – STREETS OF DOYEN – ½ each-way @ (already advised 16/1) now 12/1
Sandown 3:32 – ENRILO – ½ point win @ 7/2 (generally) now 4/1 (several firms)