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Big Kitten – 4.45 Dundalk – 1m 2F Handicap – 66/1 Bet365, Paddy Power, Betfair Sportsbook - BOG – 4 Places – 1 Point each way – LVP 20/1
Big
Kitten has been a smart performer postmarking a high of 101 and being rated between 80 and 90 all his career, with him winning over 1m 2F off a mark of 85.
He has been trained primarily by Mark Johnston and William Haggas but most recently by the shrewd John McConnell who sent him over hurdles this summer.
This switch also combined with a step up in trip on the flat from 1m 2F up to 2 miles. I think this was partly due to the McConnell training him to settle and trying to help him stay longer trips over jumps.
These 2-mile runs were not entirely poor, but he wasn’t a strong stayer.
What interests me today is Big Kitten’s overall profile. He looks like a real all-weather specialist - in his 12 starts on synthetics, he has won twice
and been placed a further six times with the majority of these runs being off marks in the 90s.
This year McConnell has campaigned him solely on grass. That was until he was given a mini break after the summer and returned recently for an outing on the all-weather over 2 miles where he again weakened late on but still postmarked
80.
That was a nice sharpener back on all-weather and today he takes a significant drop back in trip to his winning distance of 1m 2F. He was sharp enough to win over 1m back in 2018 off 85 and with him only being seven, I think this 1m 2F trip is still his optimum distance.
In the past Big Kitten has been happy to make the running or race prominently over this trip, so he is ideally berthed in stall one and I’m just hoping that connections decide to go for it today.
His odds of 66/1 look huge for his chances, and I
recommend 1 point each way.
He is still value at 20/1.
Be Prepared – 1.25 Lingfield – 6F Handicap – 80/1 Bet365, Paddy Power, Coral – BOG – 3 Places – 1 Point each way –
LVP 33/1
The 5-year-old Be Prepared started life being trained by the top yard of Simon Crisford where he showed he was smart winning a maiden by 6 lengths postmarking 86.
He
didn’t progress as a three-year-old so was sold on by his Arab owner and has since been trained by John Bridger.
In his thirteen runs since the switch in 2019 So Prepared ran pretty consistently but excelled twice, winning decisively by over 3 lengths both times off marks of 72 & 80 (over 6F and 7F).
I don’t think there is any coincidence that these two wins coincided with So Prepared running in a first-time visor and first-time blinkers.
Those wins were in the summer of 2021, and whilst he ran well thereafter, he was then
off for 423 days, only returning to action in September 2022.
He has run three times and has shown no worthwhile form, but this is understandable after that time off, which must have been due to injury, probably a tendon.
Three quick runs should be enough to get his base fitness and well-being in place, and I like that a tongue tie has been applied.
This helps explain his three runs as he has stopped quickly in the closing stages, a classic sign of a breathing issue. When a horse has time off it’s amazing
how many then develop a breathing problem.
The tongue tie will help and that combined with his baseline fitness now in place he should be ready to run his race.
Now bearing in mind
his previous improved performance when aids are used for the first time on the track, then we must back him now he goes off at 80/1 off a mark of 76, some 4lb below his last winning mark (won by 3 lengths).
I, therefore, recommend 1 point each way.
He is still value at 33/1.