Well we hit a nice winner yesterday with Hellenista who won well and made up for her previous effort for us where she was badly hampered.
Prince Khurram – 3.40 Bangor – 2 Mile Handicap Hurdle – 50/1 Boyles – 4 places – 1 Point Each Way.
Donald McCain is the top trainer at Bangor and always targets plenty of winners at the track.
Although he has plenty of short priced winners it’s not unusual for him to score with the odd big priced winner and Prince Khurram looks to have enough going for him to be of interest today at juicy odds of 50/1.
Prince Khurram has run 12 times at Bangor winning three and placing in three, so has a 50% place rate at the track. His wins have been off 100, 107 and 112.
He is 11 now so has become more lightly raced, but it’s very noticeable that he always seems to hit form around mid-August and the Bank Holiday weekend, so this is very much his time of year.
He is coming off a break into this race but has run well when fresh before and will enjoy the good ground and optimum 2 mile trip.
He runs here off 102, virtually his lowest ever hurdling mark, but what makes him even more interesting is the use of the stable apprentice claimer, Peter Kavanagh, who can claim 10lb. Peter is a decent looking apprentice who is going to do well in the game and with his claim he nets Prince’s mark down to a very attractive 92. (Peter has won 3 from 26 starts and placed 30% of the time).
With it being his time of year he is just too big at 50/1 to ignore and I’m recommending 1 point each way with Boylesports – 4 places.
He still looks value at 20/1.
Benkei – 7.55 Bellewstown – 2m Handicap – 66/1bBet365 – 1 Point Each Way.
I like the look of another classy veteran, Benkei in this 2 mile ladies handicap. He is a winner of 4 flat races and two over hurdles
Benkei has postmarked a high of 103 over staying trips, but what I really like about him today is his return to Bellewstown where he has only run three times on the flat, winning twice off marks of 84 & 90. He gets in here today off a mark of 70.
He has been a very consistent horse over the years running in the 80’s and 90’s but he was injured in 2018 and off the track for 575 days.
Benkei came back to the track in 2020 and connections ran him on the flat to get his fitness and wellbeing in order before running over hurdles where he ran Ok without troubling the judge.
He just had the one hurdle race this year in April off 122 and almost ran to his mark so his ability definitely remains.
His only other subsequent start in 2021 was recently on the flat over an inadequate 1m 4F where he was given a quiet ride out the back (from a wide draw), which looked very much like a pipe opener. That was 13 days ago, and he pitches up at Bellewstown for a ladies handicap race off a much reduced mark of 70 with Miss S Larkin who takes a further 7lb off his back down to just 63. I think this very much looks like a race connections have targeted.
Considering Benkei has run to 84 & 90 at Bellewstown he looks dangerously well handicapped and can make his presence felt in this lower grade.
At 66/1 with Bet365 he looks worthy of an each way play and I recommend 1 point each way.
He is still value at 20/1.
