19.15 Kempton Preview (Plus Reviews) (10th July)

Before I start if you’re suffering from depression or feeling suicidal you should click on Hugh Taylor's page because this post could tip you over the edge. 

''What the bloody hell happened to my tracker Ecclesiastical?'' 

I was feeling pretty confident of a place at least given he had been well-supported into 3/1 at the off. Ecclesiastical made a better start this time and was up with the pace for most of the way before weakening the final furlong, maybe he needs to strength up or could be just average at best. Richard Hughes has banged a few 2-year-old winners in of late so the warning signs were there, first, it was Twice as Likely and then Aussie Showstopper and now Old News. 

As frustrated as I am about my last few trackers and bets the one positive I can take out of it is that they have all attracted support and hopefully I can get back to winning ways as soon as possible. 

Timeform Early Declaration Alert With Preview: 

19:15 Kempton 10 Jul 2019: 

Graceful Magic 
Airbrush 
Hot Touch 

15:10 Carlisle 11 Jul 2019: 

Alabama Whitman 

19:15 Kempton 10 Jul 2019. 

Twelve declared for this Novice Fillies Stakes race with £5,822 for the winner. 

Three Horses of note here in what looks a nice race at Kempton. 

Graceful Magic was a 33/1 surprise winner for Eve Johnson Houghton on her debut at Sandown in May. She was then given her chance in the Group 1 Albany Stakes at Royal Ascot and sent off a 100/1 shot. Graceful Magic was never in with a shout that day and will be more at home in this company but has to shoulder a win penalty against a few unexposed fillies and potentially nice newcomers. 0/9 with 2-year-olds in the past four years at Kempton. 

Airbrush wouldn't be one of Richard Hannon's best 2-year-olds but made a bold show to make all in a Newmarket maiden last month until tiring the last furlong. The impressive winner that day Ultra Violet has an early entry in a Group 2 at Newmarket this week. Airbrush was entered in a Class 2 race at Newmarket this week but takes her chance in this lower grade. 

Allez Sophia is another filly for Eve Johnson Houghton. This Kingman homebred filly has run well-enough on her two starts to date and should put up another bold show. 

Breath of Joy is a newcomer for the Amy Murphy stable. Quite an expensive purchase and with De Sousa on board I will be watching the market with interest. 

Clegane is a newcomer for Ed Walker. Market check needed on debut. 0/2 with 2-year-olds this season. 

Havana Princess is a 10,000 gns purchase for Dr J D Scargill. 

Hot Touch looks a nice type for Hugo Palmer. Made a promising start to her career when beaten by Havana Dawn at Thirsk. This 100,000 euro purchase was entered to run in a Class 2 race at Newmarket but takes her opportunity here instead. Form of debut race doesn't look strong but remains with potential. 

Miarka for Harry Dunlop and owner Susan Roy who has some nice horses in training most notably Charlie Hills trained Garrus. Would have to be a nice filly to be involved here and market check needed. 

Oribi ran in the same race as Airbrush at Newmarket. Would need a significant improvement for this W J Haggas filly to be involved here. 

Predictable Tully for Clive Cox. As always Clive has great record with 2-year-olds and this season hasn't been any different. Seven winners out of eighteen runners with four winning on debut in 2019 is a great stat for any trainer. Having said that Predictable Tully would have to be well-supported to stand any chance here also Clive Cox’s 2-year-old win record in Maiden and Novice races at Kempton the past four seasons reads 0/28. 

Silent Agenda Is a 175,000 gns purchase for owners Clipper Logistics and trained by the unstoppable Archie Watson. After a promising debut she disappointed on her second start at Brighton. If, supported in the betting may stand a chance but I would take a watching brief with her. 

Tambourine Girl is last but not least for Roger Charlton. Pleasing enough debut when a 7/1 chance at Windsor to Knight Shield. 

Looks to have a decent chance after a nice debut run.

Conclusion: A tough race to be confident. Tambourine Girl and Hot Touch are strong in the market at the time of writing, I will wait for the betting to settle and if Airbrush doesn't drift I might have a small each way. Good luck and thanks for reading.

Who Remembers Istanbul? (Plus Reviews And Preview)

Not sure where to start with this post. 

I know I said I didn't have any strong fancies in my last post but tracker Dorchester Dom finishing stone last wasn't the best start to the day. I did have doubts about his long lay off, but he looked like a horse that had never set foot on a racecourse before. I guess there must be a problem and until he learns to settle things can only get worse. 

Onto my next tracker Dana Forever who was a debutante for Tom Dascombe. I did say I wasn't going to bet on unraced horses but an early Hilary Needler entry gave me hope this could be a nice filly. Even though only five runners I had an each way bet and took 13/2 which was a great price considering she ended up 7/2. Dana Forever was up with the pace before weakening a couple of furlongs out. Another disappointment which was the story of my day. Could be interesting next time out at a better price, we will see.

I did put a small Trixie up on Twitter and the first horse was Frasard who ran a great race and finished second. Who remembers Istanbul? If you're a Liverpool fan like me you won’t forget that Champions League Final back in 2005, anyway I thought Istanbul was nailed on for a place at least and won well for Richard Fahey, then the disappointing Dorchester Dom who I have said enough about, to be honest. I am getting fed up saying the Saturday Trixie was disappointing but I will give Sam credit with Mind The Crack who got pipped on the line this week. 

18:20 Windsor 08 Jul 2019 

Not a bad little race to get stuck into this Monday night at Windsor, It just so happens I will be watching this on my work break. Even though Clive Cox's Irish Acclaim has not been given any significant entries as yet he ran a pleasing debut at this course and distance a fortnight ago. Owned by Paul and Clare Rooney this Acclamation colt was purchased for 105,000 euros last September. He was a market mover on debut when backed in from 7/1 to 4/1 on the off. Irish Acclaim broke smartly and was up with the pace before looking a bit green a couple of furlongs out before running on again into fourth place. He will have benefited a lot from that experience and should grab a place at least. 

Martyn Meade gave Ecclesiastical Class 2 entry, but he never ran. The race he ran in looks to have a bit of substance about it with the William Haggas trained winner Boosala entered in the Group 2 July Stakes at Newmarket also the second Raahy and the third Tomfre have both come out and won since. Ecclesiastical went off 16/1 that day and lost a few lengths at the start before getting stuck behind a wall of traffic and then running on through beaten horses. I think we could see him in a different light here and I will have a small each way bet if the price allows.

Good Earth is another who will be in the mix after what looked to be decent efforts in has last two races. This colt was purchased by Jamie Osborne for £68,000 and was a decent third over this course and distance to the Mark Johnston trained Homespin last time out. 

Conclusion: Interesting race with a mix of experienced 2-year-olds and a few nice looking newcomers contesting the £3,429 prize money on offer. I will be keeping a close eye on the market to see if any support for Ecclesiastical. 

Thanks for reading and good luck.

Day 2 - Royal Ascot Daily Trixie 2019 (Wednesday)

Day 1 Royal Ascot

Trixie Review: 

Terrible day 1 to be honest but the show must go on. 

Laurens was Aarons selection and ran her usual honest race but could only finish sixth. Battasha ran a sound race for Sam and ran was placed. My selection was Monoski who I thought had a decent chance especially when backed into 8/1 early on but the rain arrived and Monoski drifted in a matter of minutes to 14/1 and finished second to last after setting a blistering pace. I think he's better than that and interested to see his next run. As for the winner Arizona he was backed in like defeat was out of the question. Threat gave him a serious test and I look forward to them battling out again in the future. 

No time to dwell as we are soon back for day 2 and Aaron took it that serious he even wore his jockey silks to do his write up. 

14:30 Ascot 19 Jun 2019 Queen Mary Stakes 

Craig: Final Song for Saeed Bin Suroor, not much to go on here as she only raced once but what a performance it was, she looked professional and done the job. The third-placed Star Alexanda won by six lengths the other day. ICKWORTH runs for the W McCreery yard and owned by Godolphin. This homebred Shamardal filly has had two runs to date, first was back in March at Dundalk, she didn’t beat much that day but won with plenty in hand. Next up was the First Flier Stakes (Listed Race) at Curragh in May, again not fancied at 8/1 but winning well. She beat the odds on O’Brien colt King Neptune by just over 2-lengths and showed that McCreery has a serious filly on his hands. The rain softened ground shouldn't be a problem as she has already won twice on it before, so she will be my each way selection at around 8/1. Theory Of Time is a homebred Dubawi filly for Charlie Appleby who made quite an impression when making her debut at Windsor last month. The Favourite was smartly away and up with the pace from the off before extending her lead in the final furlong. Am sure there is more to come from this nice looking filly. Flippa The Strippa for the Charlie Hills yard. This Outstrip filly looks to be the bargain of the season so far, purchased by owner Christopher Wright last September for £10,000 she has already paid her fee back when winning the £17,000 National Stakes at Sandown in May. The form looks decent enough with the 91 rated Mark Johnston filly Jm Jackson in second place. Raffle Prize for the Mark Johnston yard. This Godolphin bred Slade Power filly looks to have plenty of speed to burn. Her only two races this season have been over six furlongs. Her second race at Chester seen her start off like a bat out of hell, you would 've thought she would tire but seemed to change legs and drew further clear, the form of that race doesn't look much, but she couldn't have been more impressive. To add to that impressive line up we also have Wards from across the pond. How good are they? Who knows, but he loves to target this race so ignore them at your own peril. 

16:20 Ascot 19 Jun 2019 Duke Of Cambridge Stakes 

 Aaron: Rawdaa is an improving horse who was just beaten a neck by Lah Ti Dar at York in May, before that she was beaten by Agrotera at Kempton who herself won the Sandringham over course and distance at Royal Ascot last year both have a fair shout. The one bringing in the best form is I Can Fly, she was only beaten a neck by Roaring Lion in the QEII here in October prior to that she was a solid 6th in the Lockinge, would be no surprise to see her go very close, However, my selection is going to be the fast improving PRETTY BABY this William Haggis Filly is 5 wins from 7, she still needs to prove that she stays this trip but I fully expect her to so she gets my vote at 8/1.  

17:00 Ascot 19 Jun 2019 Royal Hunt Cup 

Sam: The Royal Hunt Cup is a very tricky handicap where last years winner Settle for Bay lines up again off 6lb higher after coming late win a strong run he won the race quite comfortably but this year's race has a stronger field and the ground seems like it’s going against him. One horse that will love the fact that the rain has come is course specialist RAISING SAND who does well in Ascot handicaps. He ran on well over 7f at this course in its last appearance but should enjoy the step up to 1m and this makes him my selection. New Graduate is an exciting prospect but is up 15lb for its last run and the ground could be an issue. One with an ew chance is Kynren who always runs a true race and should be thereabouts. 

Reviews and Bet Reviews: 

A few trackers to catch up on that I mentioned the last few days. 

Shammah won by 5-lengths. The Frankel colt was very impressive and dropping back to 5-furlongs did the trick. (No Bet) 

Hubert ran a nice debut without threatening the winner, finished third at 10/1. (Each Way Bet)

Raahy could never strike a blow to the Willam Haggas newcomer and finished second. (Win Bet) 

Ecclesiastical was slowly away but finished well in fifth, one to keep an eye out for. (No Bet) 

Timeform Early Declaration Alert: 

13:50 Chelmsford City 20 Jun 2019: Exciting Days 

20:30 Lingfield 20 Jun 2019: Cherokee Mist 

14:10 Ripon 20 Jun 2019: Al Aakif 

6:10 Newmarket 21 June 2019: King's Command 

Thanks for reading and good luck.

Double up for the Saturday Trixie (Plus Reviews And Previews)

Finally, I just can't believe it, we have waited so long for this to come around and am so happy. I don't mean Royal Ascot by the way haha. After seven weeks of trying to get a couple of winners, we finally got a double up in our Saturday Trixie. Yes, you read it right we got two winners. Before I get to the review I will catch up on some trackers that ran over the past few days. 

Bets and Timeform Tracker Reviews

I predicted a riot in one of my earlier posts this week but it was more of a scuffle between two infants on their first day at Nursery. But seriously, John Gosden's 2-year-old Riot ran a decent enough race and will have learned a lot from being out-battled by the eventual winner Shared Belief. The 185,000 Euros Archie Watson colt is a horse you will hear a lot more about this season and as for Riot am sure a win is just around the corner for this nice looking Kingman colt. 

Big City was my next tracker and it brought a much-needed win after going through a spell of seconds and thirds. I thought an early morning price of 11/4 wasn't too bad so 5/1 was even better after this Saeed Bin Suroor colt beat Maysong by three-quarters of a length and confirm the promise he showed on his debut run. 

I also had a bet on King’s View, how many times can I make the same mistake of thinking I am getting a good price when I see a tracker getting backed early on, then take a huge drift later after my bet is already on. I actually got 9/2 and by the time the race came he had drifted to 12/1 and King’s View ended up finishing stone last. I did have another two trackers in the same race Baadirr who ran a nice race to finish second and the third placed Swinley Forest who was 20/1. 

On Friday a different day but the same mistake, Kilham my tracker was getting nibbled at early morning from 11/2 to 4/1, so I jump in again and what happens? The same thing it comes to race time and its drifted to 10/1 and finishes fourth. When will I learn? 

I added a late Saturday tracker and shouldn't have bothered. Historic has an entry for the Group 1 Phoenix Stakes, and I was expecting a big improvement, so I had an each way bet at 9/2 only for Historic to finish fourth 

The Saturday Trixie Review 

Well, we finally got a double up when my selection Know No Limits ran out an easy winner in the 6-furlong sprint at Chester. A plum draw in stall 2 Richard Kingscote bounced her out the gates quick and being a front runner it was the perfect course for her, she ended up winning by 4 -lengths and a great start for the Trixie with a 5/1 winner. 

Sam was looking for his first winner and Fantasy Keeper was always travelling well. The 13/8 favourite always looked like he was doing enough and held on to win by half a length and make it two winners from two. 

It was all down to Aarons selection Loch Ness Monster to make it a great day to remember but the 7/1 chance could never strike a blow and plugged on to finish fifth but a double is an improvement and hopefully, the treble is not far away, watch this space. 

Timeform Early Declaration Alert:

With Reviews 18:10 Windsor 17 Jun 2019: Shammah for the Richard Hannon yard. After a nice debut in a five-furlong sprint at Salisbury last month this Frankel filly surprisingly didn't see out the extra furlong last time out. She will be hoping the drop back down in trip will give her a good chance to get her first win on the board. She had an entry for the Hilary Needler Trophy Fillies Conditions Stakes but didn't run.

18:10 Windsor 17 Jun 2019: Hubert for the Silvester Kirk yard. This Kodiac colt has an entry for the Byerley Stud Peter Walwyn Memorial Novice Stakes at Salisbury but doesn't run. Interesting that the owner Neil Simpson had a nice 2-year-old last season. Irene May won her 2 races last season and was well-supported on her debut so a market check will be needed. 

18:40 Windsor 17 Jun 2019: Raahy outrun his big odds when making his debut at Doncaster at the start of the month, since given an entry for the Class 2 race at Salisbury but doesn't run. Should be in the mix after that debut. 

18:40 Windsor 17 Jun 2019: Ecclesiastical makes her debut for Martyn Meade. Another one who was down to run in the Class 2 Salisbury race but doesn't run. Market check needed on debut. 

Good luck and thanks for reading.