Welcome to Features
...... this area of the site is dedicated to providing
previews of upcoming feature races along with other
important information we feel will point you towards
future winners and also educate the general punter in
relevant matters relating to gambling on horses.
To access more FREE bets just like you see on
Features why not join our NEWSLETTER list......Join
Newsletter List Now.
Australian Feature Race Previews - Saturday 6
March 2010
Flemington R2 No9 Rock Face (1) - very well bred by Encosta De
Lago out of the Polish Patriot mare Freckled Face who is also the dam of G3
winner and decent young sire Face Value, lightly raced coming into this having
3rd career start, good scope for more, won on debut at Sandown over 1000m
defeating Off The Planet with good gaps back through the field, franked that
form 2nd up when 3rd btn 0.3l at M Valley, form ref through Ameathon 4th back to
Black Caviar and Wanted suggests it has the edge at the weights here over
Rarefied and Avenue the 2 market leaders, also a line through Womby Princess
(3rd in Rock Face's debut win) also gives it an edge over Avenue at the weights,
suited under the pace scenario getting last crack at them chasing down a likely
fast pace, 9/1 available in early markets represents good value.
Flemington R2 No8 Free Spirited (1) - the other in form lightly
raced improver with claims here at good odds, also well bred by Fastnet Rock out
of the Rubiton mare Impulsive Rhythm who is also the dam of G3 winner King Of
Danes, won 1st up at Morphettville 2 starts ago in a very hot form race 2.7*1.7l
with 2nd 3rd 4th and 8th out of that race winning at their next 2 starts adding
very good depth (our consistent site followers will already know we have backed
plenty of winners out of this race highlighting it in our blog feature some time
ago as a potential very strong form race, proven correct), made it 2 on end at
Sandown last start defeating Off The Planet by 1.3l with big gaps further back
through the field, Off The Planet ran 2nd to Rock Face the start prior giving
Rock Face a 1kg pull at the weights over Free Spirited, this one at 9/1 in early
markets also represents good value, back them both.
Flemington R3 No2 In Faith (2) - the pace scenario here is
critical over this 1400m 2yo G2 event, In Faith in drawn down in the 1 alley
and is the only leader engaged, he will get it super soft on the front end,
comes into this undefeated winning 2 from 2 so far and has scope for further
improvement here on the back of winning eased down (only shown whip and
rider sat up close home) when scoring by 4.3l, form refs back through the
btn brigade suggest Willow Creek may be better suited at the weights but
bottom line is that In Faith will get it too soft on the front and Willow
Creek will have too big a job to chase him down, deceivingly well bred by
Keep The Faith (Sunday Silence) who was an Australian bred stakes winning
sprinter who went on to set a North American 6f all comers record at Belmont
Park when racing in the USA, this one is one of an Anabaa mare.
Flemington R4 No6 Huxssen (2) - highly impressive 1st up
from a spell last start at Mornington over 1200m winning the Listed Hareeba
Stakes, flashed big closing pars from near last to score by 0.4l over Mr
Baritone with smart types Captain Coltish and Carrara 3rd and 4th, on the
back of that run we outlined Huxxsen as a longshot Doncaster chance and we
have no reason to sway away from the high assessment of him now, stepping to
1400m here on the big Flemington track will be totally to his liking and he
gets in well weighted vs the other major chances with numerous form lines
out of that 1st up win giving him a clear edge here, considering the scope
for further improvement he will be hard to beat, deceivingly very well bred
by Hussonet out of the Diesis mare Musical Tones who herself is out of the
stakes winning Nureyev mare Arsaan who won 2 from 5 in her short career
including blacktype success in England, she was a $750K yearling purchase in
1986 suggesting what a nice type she was, Huxssen's 3rd dam Anne Campbell
was Kentucky broodmare of the year in 1999, very good female family.
Flemington R6 No19 Trusting (1) - well bred type by Tale Of
The Cat out of stakes winning Zabeel mare Legible who comes into this 1st up
from a spell, won 1st up by wide spaces on debut last prep (goes well 1st up
and handles wet tracks), later that prep chased home Denman 2nd btn 1.8l in
the Golden Rose at G1 level then just missed when 2nd to Demerit in the
Caulfield Guineas Prelude, blinkers go on 1st time here and should
appreciate the 'straight 6' here getting every chance to wind up and flash
its customary big late race pars, drawn in the middle of the field in the 10
alley which is a bonus as it can go track to which ever side is playing the
quickest on the day and then get the chance to storm down the outside of
that group after getting cover early, as a comparison put Denman in this
race with 53.5kg and ask yourself what price he would be, definitely a lot
shorter than the 18/1 to 20/1 on offer about Trusting, that is a comparible
formline to take into this, excellent value, can't be ignored.
Flemington R6 No5 Light Fantastic (1) - one of the big
factors of this race is the lack of early speed, there is every chance they
will not go that quick through the middle and early stages and if that
scenario develops then Light Fantastic comes right into calculations here,
drawn down in the 1 alley it will go straight to the fence and either lead
or track the leaders with the run of the race, from there he only needs the
gaps to appear to figure here, especially going on the back its 1st up 4th
btn 1.4l behind Turffontein, he drops from 58.5kg to 54kg here and is fitter
for the run after doing all the work on the front end that day, 1st up last
preperation he ran 3rd btn 0.2l over this track and distance behind All
Silent and only carried 1kg less than All Silent that day, today he gets 3kg
off All Silent, the weight turn around may prove significant, at the 25/1
fixed odds in early betting he must be respected.
Flemington R8 No5 Heart Of Dreams (1) - the overall pace of
this race will be very slow and under those circumstances Heart Of Dreams is
likely to settle forward on pace as he has at both his runs this preperation,
last start he just missed 0.2l when 2nd to La rocket in the G2 St George
Stakes, he was making good headway and hit the line strongly easily holding
the other closers at bay, that run will have topped him off very nicely for
this, he is the one they will have to run down in deep stretch and with most
of the other proven older stayers producing below par form leading into this
he does look best suited, came very close to making this a level (2) rating,
deserved favorite and at 5/1 or 11/2 around the traps he is good value as
the top elect here.
Flemington R8 No7 Growl (1) - don't be surprised if the
Montjeu 7yo from the David Hayes yard runs a big race at the fixed odds on
offer of 50/1, totally forget his last start failure, go on his run 2 back
winning the Hobart Cup, he scored by big margins through the field and a few
of those form references out of that race put him right in this if he can
reproduce it, interestingly Brad Rawiller stays on after riding him that day
and he looks to have made this his Australian Cup elect after letting Boss
keep the ride on on Extra Zero for the same stable after he rode that horse
1st and 2nd up before Boss won on Extra Zero last start, warrants specking
at the 50/1 tag on offer.
Warwick Farm R6 No6 Road To Rock (1) - the overall depth of
this race does not look that great considering the G1 tag assigned, decided
to lean towards horses that are proven over this trip at G1 WFA, the first
of them is Road To Rock who finished 2nd last start when 1st up from a spell
btn 0.1l by Rightfully Yours over 1400m at Caulfield, last preperation he
won 2nd up over 1600m at G1 WFA defeating Black Piranhai n the George Main
Stakes, a repeat of that run will see him hard to hold out here, he will get
back and close off hard after the slashing 1st up effort, at 10/1 in early
fixed odds markets he warrants backing.
Warwick Farm R6 No1 Theseo (1) - this one was below par 1st
up last start when 8th to Danleigh at Group 2 level but simply he is much
better than that form suggests, go on its 2nd up effort last prep at
Caulfield scoring by 3.8l over Baughurst and then its Ranvet Stakes win 2
starts later by 1.3l over Viewed, it is perfectly drawn here to get a good
on pace trip without having to work too hard early, it may prove hard to run
down in the stretch now with one run under its belt and a likely soft trip
on the front end, very good value in early markets at 11/1.
More previews still to be added.
Meydan Dubai Super Thursday Race Previews - 4
March 2010
Below is previews for all races to be run at Meydan in Dubai on Super
Thursday, 4 March 2010. This is the major lead up meeting to Dubai World Cup
night and is jam packed with high class Group 1 quality race horses from all
corners of the globe.
Meydan 3.35
1m1f110y Lstd
No2 Enak G1+
No4 Della Barba G1?
No6 Solid Choice G2+
No8 Vale Of York G1+
No10 Kona Coast G1-
No11 Storm Chispazo G1
No15 Landowner ??
Despite only being a Listed quality race it will take a horse of the highest
quality to win this event, we are talking a G1 performer realistically that
is need to take the prize here such is the massive depth of this field
overall. 3 horse make major appeal, the first is the former Argentinian
galloper now with Saeed Bin Suroor Enak who won a mile G1 event at San
Isidoro in May 2009 4l*2l with Storm Chispazo finishing a well beaten 10th,
Enak has since had 1 start in Dubai finishing down the track behind Mendip
but that run can be excused, it looks a true G1 quality horse on its San
Isidoro win, the 2nd one of major note is also a Saeed Bin Suroor trained
galloper in the form of Breeders Cup Juvenile winner Vale Of York, he
defeated numerous proven G1 performers annexing the Breeders Cup Juvenile
and with the stable in such hot form the son of Invincible Spirit simply can
not be ignored, the third one of major note is the unexposed Shamardal colt
Landowner who has won 2 races recently at Jebel Ali and Abu Dhabi in prep
for this contest and the form out of both of those races through horses like
Beethoven suggest it will be super competitive here.
1st No2 Enak
2nd No8 Vale Of York
3rd No15 Landowner
Win Betting - No2 Enak shapes as very good value likely to be bet around the
25/1 mark on the exchanges, back it each way, No8 Vale Of York is likely to
start 2/1 favorite or thereabouts, so leave it alone, No15 Landowner will be
available at better than 20/1 and can also be nibbled at.
Value Place Bet - No15 Landowner
Enak winning the G1 Gran Premio Clasico Gran Criterium - San Isidoro,
Argentina
Vale Of York winning the G1 Breeders Cup Juvenile - Santa Anita, USA
Meydan 4.15 6f G3
No2 Desert Party G1+?
No3 Barbecue Eddie G2+?
No5 Mrs Boss G1+,+?
No7 War Artist G1?
Once again this race will take a sprinter of the highest calibre to win
despite being only a G3 race in terms of advertised purse and class, overall
on that basis it shapes as a race in 2 between the Saeed Bin Suroor trained
Street Cry 4yo colt Desert Party and the Brazilian raider Mrs Boss who
herself is very well bred by the under-rated son of Wild Again, Wild Event,
leaning is towards the speed machine Mrs Boss despite being beaten 4l by
Global City over 6f on her Meydan debut on 18 February, she led that day and
wilted due to fitness but is sure to have come on significantly for that run
and her 3 wins in Brazil in February and March 2009 by big spaces were
sprinting efforts of the highest calibre, form refs out of those races
suggest she will give a huge sight here on the front end and prove very hard
to run down in deep stretch, likely good value will be bet compared to
Desert Party who twice defeated Regal Ransom at this carnival last year so
it is likely to be short in the market especially considering it represents
the very hot and popular Saeed Bin Suroor yard, Mrs Boss for us is the bet
to make all on the front end.
1st No5 Mrs Boss
2nd No2 Desert Party
3rd No7 War Artist
Win Betting - No5 Mrs Boss is likely to bet around the 18/1 to 20/1 mark on
the exchanges and does look very good each way value, No2 Desert Party is
likely to be around 6/1 or 7/1 as our 2nd elect and also shapes as good
value to be backed to win along with Mrs Boss, they have it between them.
No7 War Artist is too short to be backed as the 3rd elect.
Value Place Bet - No5 Mrs Boss
Desert Party winning the G3 UAE 2000 Guineas - Nad Al Sheba, Dubai
Desert Party winning the G2 Sanford Stakes - Saratoga, USA
Meydan 4.50 1m G3
No4 Al Arab G1?
No5 Forgotten Voice G1+
No6 Skysurfers G1++
Another G3 race that is well above the advertised level in terms of class of
horse competing in this race, 3 horses make appeal as high class potential
G1 horses on their form at Meydan so far and it is clearly Skysurfers who
looks the best of them, once again another charge from the super hot Saeed
Bin Suroor yard which is having a sensational carnival, Skysurfers is
undefeated having only its 3rd career start here after winning a lowly
maiden on the All Weather at Southwell by 10l in a field of 13 in October
09, 1st up this time in Dubai last start it blew away a good field including
Eagle Mountain 2nd btn 3.2l with form refs through those btn further back
suggesting he is a high class stakes winner on the make, the scary thing is
that was only his 2nd career start and he has so much scope for further
improvement, Al Arab and Forgotten Voice look to be the only minor dangers
but it is simply impossible to ignore the way Skysurfers won last start, it
should remain undefeated after this contest.
1st No6 Skysurfers
2nd No5 Forgotten Voice
3rd No4 Al Arab
Win Betting - No6 Skysurfers is the deserved favorite in this race and is
likely to be bet around the 6/4 mark on the exchanges which is the right
price compared to how highly we have assessed it, it is the biggest
certainty on the card, back it alone with good confidence straight out to
win.
No4 Anmar G2+,+?
No5 Halicarnassus G2
No6 Purple Moon G1
No9 Pan River G2?
No16 Autonomy G2+,+?
There is potentially 5 horses that could scoop the prize here, but 3 of them
make major appeal. We have leant towards the lightly raced Rahy colt Anmar
on top here from the super hot Saeed Bin Suroor yard, admittedly Purple Moon
is more proven as a stayer with his efforts over the last 2 years but Anmar
has 2 major factors in his favour, he was an impressive last start winner
here over 11f giving him the race fitness edge and he has more scope for
further improvement being so lightly raced whilst Purple Moon is 1st up from
a break obviously using this as a prep run for his major assignment to come
on Dubai World Cup night, the other one that makes significant appeal is the
well bred Indian Group 1 winner Autonomy who is by Razeen (full brother to
Warshaan and the best sire India has ever had winning multiple sire titles
over there producing countless numbers of Indian classic winners), Autonomy
is out of a high class Indian bred Steinbeck mare, even though Autonomy
failed at his 1st start in Dubai when down the track behind Pan River (also
engaged here) we feel there is more to come from him.
This shapes as a good value betting affair where we can back our top two
elects for a result across the race, No4 Anmar looks likely to start
favorite here around the 9/2 mark, back it to win, the 2nd elect No16
Autonomy shapes as very good value likely to be bet at 30/1 or better, back
it each way outlaying half the amount of the Anmar bet for a result across
the race.
Autonomy winning the Indian Turf Invitational Cup - Hyderabad, India
Purple Moon running 2nd to Doctor Dino in the Hong Kong Vase - Sha Tin, Hong
Kong
Purple Moon running 3rd to Eastern Anthem in the Dubai Sheema Classic - Nad
Al Sheba, Dubai
Meydan 6.10 1m2f
G2
No2 Allybar G2+
No5 Gloria De Campeao G1,+?
No8 Vodka G1++?
No11 Cavalryman G1+
No13 Red Desire G1+,+?
Once again another super strong race on this card that will take no less
than an effort of the highest Group 1 calibre class to win here, 4 horses
make serious appeal in this race and all are proven high class Group 1
performers, we have leant towards the champion Japanese bred Tanimo Gimlet
mare Vodka as the top elect here, she got back to her career best form last
start winning over 12f at Tokyo annexing the Japan Cup dirt, form refs out
of that race suggest it was a group 1 race of the highest quality and
clearly puts her on top here. It is another Japanese raider who comes out of
that same race that we have down for 2nd in the form of the very well bred
Manhattan Cafe 4yo filly Red Desire, she chased home Vodka in the Japan Cup
dirt gamely beaten 1.5l 3rd and the start prior she annexed the G1 Shuka Sho
over 10f at Kyoto defeating a very high class field full of proven Group 1
winners, the next best is also a high class stayer in the form of the French
raider Cavalryman who last start finished 3rd to Sea The Stars in the Prix
De L'Arc De Triomphe beaten only 2l, the 4yo son of Halling won his previous
3 starts on end and that Arc 3rd was in one of the strongest renew2als of
the Arc in a long time.
1st No8 Vodka
2nd No13 Red Desire
3rd No11 Cavalryman
Win Betting - Our confidence is very strong around our top 2 elects here and
there is enough value in the market to back both for a result across the
race as one of our strongest races to be bet on the card, No8 Vodka is
likely to be bet around the 13/4 or 7/2 mark and shapes as good value
slightly better odds than we have it assessed at, our 2nd elect No13 Red
Desire is also at good value compared to its true chance and is likely to be
bet around the 13/2 or 7/1 mark, have 4 units on Vodka and 2 units on Red
Desire for a result across the race.
Value Place Betting - nothing in this race
Vodka winning the Japan Cup (Turf) - Tokyon, Japan
Also in this replay Red Desire finishing 3rd
Cavalryman finishing 3rd to Sea The Stars in the Prix De L'arc De Triomphe -
Longchamp, France
As per the usual story for this meeting it will take a high class G1
performer to annex this race despite the Group 2 rating assigned on paper to
this race, 4 horses in the field make appeal as potential winners here but
it is the USA turf form that we feel is the most significant in this race,
on top we lean towards the Redback 4yo filly Lahaleeb who last start annexed
the EP Taylor Stakes at Woodbine over 10f in very good style 1.7*2.3l with
further big margins back through the field, the form out of that race does
look strong and it was a career best performance for the unfashionably bred
filly so there is a minor query because of those factors, her prior form in
The UK was not as strong but that EP Taylor Stakes win has to be respected,
for 2nd it is another USA formline we rely on nominating Justenuffhumor for
2nd, last start he was one paced when 4.2l 6th to Bankable having his first
start at Meydan on 19 Feb but his effort when 3rd to Goldikova btn 1.5l the
start prior in the Breeders Cup Mile on turf is a very strong form line for
this, that day he was making strong headway over the final 100y suggesting
he is even better suited to this 9f test here, for 3rd the best of the rest
clearly looks to be Presvis who will have come on significantly for its last
start 7l 2nd to Allybar in a small 3 horse field race here on 5 February,
not the strongest confidence about this race but still good value likely.
Win Betting - This race just like the prior race shapes as a good value
betting affair where we can back the top 2 elects for a result across the
race but not with the same confidence as the prior race, No5 Lahaleeb is
likely to be bet around the 11/1 mark or better on the exchanges and can be
backed each way as the top elect, our 2nd elect No8 Justenuffhumor is also
good value here likely to be bet around the 7/1 to 8/1 mark and can also be
backed to win, outlay half the amount on Justenuffhumour compared to the
size bet that you have on Lahaleeb to win.
Value Place Betting - No5 Lahaleeb
Lahaleeb winning the EP Taylor Stakes - Woodbine, Canada
Justenuffhumor running 3rd to Goldikova in the Breeders Cup Mile - Santa
Anita, USA
Justenuffhumor winning the G2 Bernard Baruch Handicap - Saratoga, USA
Presvis running 2nd to Gloria De Campeao in the Singapore Airlines
International Cup - Kranji, Singapore
Caulfield
& Rosehill Previews For Saturday 20 February
All races for feature racing from Caulfield & Rosehill on Saturday 20
February will be highlighted here. The races included will be as follows.
Caulfield R2 - the overall class of this field looks
clearly above the advertised $70K purse on offer and we have decided to lean
towards Going Spending with some degree of confidence here
who realistically gets in fairly well weighted down on the minimum
especially considering his recent form including arguably career best form 2
starts ago when 2nd to Beltrois btn 0.1l over this track and distance, he
did all the work on the front end that day and got beaten in a head bobber
by Beltrois with a big 3l margin back to 3rd in $100K Listed company that
day, form refs through the btn brigade reads very well for what it takes on
here and it drops 0.5kg for that run, back in 07 this horse was only btn 3l
at Apache Cat at Listed level so it obviously has its fair share of ability
and is consistently producing big runs this prep finishing 2nd its last 4
starts on end, if it can reproduce that run from 2 starts ago and continue
to hold its form it will shake the life out of this race and at 9/2 with
bookmakers in early markets in excellent value.
BETTING ADVICE
No10 Going Spending - 3 units win
No10 Going Spending - 4 units place
Caulfield R3 - Only 6 runners greet the judge here so the
pace scenario will be critical with Danzylum the only noted leader in the
field but he does not have the class on his side to hold this overly strong
field at bay in deep stretch for the advertised Group 3 level assigned, a
few of these are G2 quality gallopers and they are the ones who make the
most appeal here especially Vigor who is 1st up from a
spell for the Danny O'Brien yard, he is yet to win 1st up from a spell but
we are not too concerned with that factor as his other 1st up runs have been
over shorter trips and it was not until 2nd up last preparation that he
proved the high class animal he is by knocking of Typhoon Tracy, Master
O'Reilly and Heart Of Dreams amongst others in the Makybe Diva Stakes over
1600m at Group 2 WFA level, the form out of that race is clearly stronger
than any other form here and it is likely D Oliver will settle him closer to
the pace than usual, all he needs to do is switch off in the run then
release his customary strong closing pars and he should have this lot
covered, we are confident enough in his chances to assign a level (2) rating
to this galloper despite being 1st up, currently he is offered up at 11/4
with bookmakers and we feel he may even come into equal favouritism in this
race by jump time, anything better than 9/4 is good value.
BETTING ADVICE
No2 Vigor - 3 units win
Caulfield R4 - Set For Fame has been made a clear cut
favourite here in early betting markets on the back of her 1st up win in the
Kevin Hayes Stakes (Lst 1200m) on this track but we feel the depth of form
out of that race is questionable considering what she takes on here in terms
of proven class, not to say that she does deserve to be high up in the
betting but there is one other runner who produced a massive effort 1st up
last start of better merit that is subject to big improvement going to 1400m
and may be back to her best here 2nd up and that is Rostova,
her early 2yo form last season around this time of year was nothing short of
spectacular winning 4 of her first 5 starts only being beaten in the Blue
Diamond, all other 4 starts she won by clearly more than 2l including a 2.5l
win over Irish Lights at her 2nd career start in the Blue Diamond Preview,
she raced on that preparation into the Golden Slipper and Sires Produce in
Sydney and was obviously over taxed that preparation as she did not come
back up in the Spring but her 1st up run this preparation when flashing big
closing pars behind Here De Angels and Lucky Secret on this track over 1100m
making up clearly the most ground suggests she is going to relish the 1400m
trip 2nd up here and hit her peak form again, in that race she went straight
past Avenue and Irish Lights leaving them standing still and it is hard to
see Irish Lights turning the tables on her here going on that run,
Jolie Brise is the other one of interest and has since won a strong
trial after failing 1st up behind Set For Fame and at the big price of 25/1
with bookmakers early in betting she also offers good value but it is
Rostova who looks clearly the one to beat here going on her 1st up run and
at 5/1 in early markets is good value, it is likely she will drift out to
closer to 6/1 come post time, we will back both for a result across the
race.
BETTING ADVICE
No1 Rostova - 2 units win
No8 Jolie Brise - 1 unit win
No1 Rostova - 4 units place
Caulfield R5 - It is clearly obvious to one and all how
good of a horse Denman is, he is a Group 1 quality galloper
of the highest order and the scary thing is that he still has further scope
for improvement, the rest of this field struggles to come up to the
advertised G2 level of this race under the race conditions, the big question
becomes what is the value price for Denman vs this field, he looks the
obvious winner, bookmakers around the country are quoting him as a 1.22 to
1.25 chance in betting, there is the possibility he will be bet at 1.30 at
some stage, at the odds of 1.30 he has to win this race 3.3 times out of
every 4.3 times the race is run to break square on him as a betting
proposition at those odds, we are talking about horse racing remember!, with
luck such a big factor in horse racing especially from the unforseen angle
it is suggested that at this price of even 1.30 he is not a betting
commodity, simply watch him go around and enjoy seeing such a high class
animal doing his thing.
BETTING ADVICE
No Bets in this race
Caulfield R6 - The overall quality of this field on paper
is up to the advertised G2 level of this race but some of those that are
proven G1 horses such as Shocking and Viewed are better suited over further
and are being aimed at the Australian cup, we expect both of those horses to
need another run yet and we must remember this is WFA, Heart Of
Dreams on the other hand is a proven G1 WFA winner over this track
and distance and 3rd up last preparation took out the Underwood Stakes by
0.4l defeating Whobetgotyou and Predatory Pricer, the form out of that race
is true G1 quality with Whobetgotyou the start prior winning the Dato Chin
Nam and start after winning the Yalumba Stakes, Predatory Pricer at his next
start finished 0.1l 2nd to Efficient in the Turnbull Stakes, 4th home
Maldivian was btn 1.2l by Efficient in the Turnbull next start whilst 5th
home Red Ruler was only btn 1.3l by Efficient in the Turnbull next start and
this preparation has won 3 Group races on end at his last 3 starts after
finishing 2nd to Vosnee Romanee in G1 company at Ellerslie over 2000m, no
matter where you look the form out of that Yalumba Stakes win has been
totally franked, 1st up this preparation Heart Of Dreams chased home the
ultra high class mare Typhoon Tracy finishing 2nd btn 1.8l in the CF Orr
Stakes over 1400m, he will have come on significantly for that run, Sirmione
ran a bolter in the same race but he really is an in and out sort of
customer and no where near as consistent as Heart Of Dreams, Speed Gifted is
1st up from a spell for Freedman and has good scope but his form suggests at
WFA he is only a G2 quality horse at best and despite winning 1st up last
prep he takes on much stronger 1st up here, Changingofthegaurd is the high
profile former UK galloper with David Hayes and his best form is over 10f
(2000m) but he is out of a Marju mare and is likely to have been trained
differently by Hayes so he is the query runner to some respect but the
bottom line here is Heart Of Dreams has been there and done this already and
has come back in sensational order, he clearly looks the top elect, we have
marked him up as a strong level (2) selection and anything better than 7/4
represents value, currently he is being offered up by bookmakers at 2/1 and
is 9/4 on the exchanges, we do expect the money to come for him so the
current odds offered should be snapped up, you may be lucky and get 9/4 with
bookmakers at some stage but expect him to shorten in just below 2/1 come
closer to post time.
BETTING ADVICE
No4 Heart Of Dreams - 4 units win
Caulfield R7 - Realistically we feel there is 4 serious chances in
this race being Beneteau, Legalistic, Crystal Lilly and
Psychologist, of those 4 we prefer 2 of them to annex the
event and they offer up very good value, the best value commodity in the
race is the David Hayes trained Legalistic, he is a very well bred colt by
Encosta De Lago out of the G3 winning Snippets mare Legally Bay and comes
into this having its 2nd career start with big scope for further improvement
on the back of breaking its maiden at Sale by a widening 7l margin, he is
drawn out in the 12 alley and did lead at Sale but the overall pace of that
race was not great so we feel he is more likely to take a sit tracking the
other 4 potential leaders in the race and hence get a very good trip, the
way he accelerated at Sale on the slow track after doing all the work in
front does suggest he will be much better taking a sit and the form
references out of that maiden win do read very well despite only being a
maiden, obviously he may have been flattered margin wise on the wet track
that day but he has the most scope for improvement of all of these being so
lightly raced and he is bred to be top class and the stable knows how to win
feature Group 2yo races, at odds of 25/1 with bookmakers he offers up
sensational value and is a great each way play, the other major hope in our
eyes is the highly impressive debut G3 winner Psychologist who blew away the
fillies in the 2nd lot of lead up races 14 days ago on this track over 1100m
by 4.3l, she possesses a pure speed pedigree by Choisir out of the Danzero
mare Miss Conception, the big query for her is the wide gate she has drawn
but she has abundant early speed and if she jumps on que there is every
chance she will get across the face of this field without working too hard
early, that is the big key to her chances, her gate speed does seem greater
than anything else in this race, she is currently trading at 6/1 in early
fixed odds markets and has been supported in from 7/1, it is likely she will
come in for further support and may end up at the 5/1 or 11/2 mark come post
time, Beneteau is undefeated in 2 career starts but we feel the depth of his
last start win is not that great but he is still the best of the rest along
with Crystal Lilly who won the fillies version in the 1st lot of lead up
races 4 weeks ago and form lines can be found putting Psychologist clearly
infront of her and winners in the first lot of lead up races have a bad
record in this main Blue Diamond race.
BETTING ADVICE
No8 Legalistic - 2 units win
No13 Psychologist - 2 units win
No8 Legalistic - 2 units place
Caulfield R8 - We feel that there is only 3 realistic
chances in this race and they all have some sort of queries around them so
confidence is not great but value is decent so we can back 2 of them for a
result across the race, the major chances lie with Weekend Hussler,
Lucky Secret and Wanted, decided to lean towards Lucky
Secret on top here going on his 3rd up win last preparation over 1000m on
this track when he annexed the Schillaci Stakes, that day he defeated Apache
Cat and Wanted in a high class display of speed 2.3*1l, form references out
of that race when lined up back to this field suggest he is the winner
clearly if he can repeat that run, he is better off at the weights vs Wanted
on that run, he gave Wanted 5.5kg that day and only gives him 3kg here, the
major query around Lucky Secret is his very average effort 1st up when btn
by Here De Angels but Tony Vasil would have not pushed on into this race if
he felt all was not right with Lucky Secret, we take it on trust that he has
him at the top of his game for this race and the booking of Damien Oliver
adds confidence, the other major hope we will be backing is Weekend Hussler
who won this race in 2008 by 1.8l defeating Magnus, he is drawn wide here
and is coming off a 371 day break but reports from connections suggest he is
ready for this despite negative press suggesting the opposite, the pace
scenario will totally suit Weekend Hussler who has the tactical speed to be
close enough in transit likely taking a sit tracking from midfield or
better, his versatile nature to accelerate from anywhere in a field should
see him be able to negate the wide gate by being ridden for cover where ever
he can get in early in the run, Wanted is the perennial bridesmaid and looks
the best of the rest and may be the bridesmaid again here, Lucky Secret is
4/1 in early markets and should drift out a bit from that price and Weekend
Hussler is 11/1 coming in for mild support from 14/1 early which is a good
sign, they can both be backed for a result across the race.
BETTING ADVICE
No2 Lucky Secret - 2 units win
No1 Weekend Hussler - 1 unit win
Rosehill R5 - The overall class of this Listed affair is
questionable with no real high quality gallopers engaged but one that does
make appeal at big odds is the New Zealander Walk In The Park,
she mixes her form a fair bit but on her day is clearly superior to this lot
on exposed form through her efforts in New Zealand and also in Brisbane
during the Winter carnival in 2009, 5th up in Brisbane last preparation she
finished 3rd btn 2.6l in the G1 Queensland Oaks behind Purple on a slow
track with some decent staying well behind her that day including Awesome
Planet, Ekstreme and Think Money, in her first preparation prior to that she
finished it off with a good 2nd in Group 2 company in New Zealand btn 0.4l
by Puttanesca at only her 4th career start, she is well bred by Thorn Park
out of a Grosvenor mare and obviously get a good injection of stamina from
the dams side of her pedigree, her form has been below par since arriving in
Australia 2 runs ago but if you are prepared to overlook that form she
offers up good value here in a weakish Listed contest at the 25/1 mark.
BETTING ADVICE
No8 Walk In The Park - 1 unit win
No8 Walk In The Park - 2 units place
Rosehill R6 - with Rangirangdoo so such in markets here
around the 7/4 and 2/1 market we feel there is good value in opposing him, a
few high class gallopers are also engaged here that will make life difficult
for him, it is not as clear cut as people think, the 3 horses that may worry
Rangirangdoo are Theseo, Danleigh and O'Lonhro,
2 of these are at double figure odds early in betting and are the best value
betting options here, the first of them Theseo finished 3rd in the CF Orr
stakes 1st up last preparation btn only 1.1l by Maldivian and the form out
of that race has since been proven as true G1 quality, he handles wet tracks
and is likely to get a near perfect trip tracking a solid tempo, Gai
Waterhouse knows how to win these big races and she is sure to have him
ready for this winnable 1st up tilt, the other one of major interest is
O'Lonhro, he is a lightly raced commodity who was in top form last
preparation and offers big scope for further improvement, 1st up was nosed
out by Swift Alliance with a big gap to 3rd, that form ref has since proven
high class, 2nd up he was once again bloused by Trusting defeating some high
class G1 performers in the process, he atoned 3rd up over 1600m at Randwick,
he handles wet tracks holding out Roman Emperor on a heavy track over 1500m
on this track having his 2nd career start, his form references ooze class
and he is likely to get a good trip tracking a solid pace from midfield,
both horses are clearly above the 10/1 and warrant support here in a very
good betting affair.
BETTING ADVICE
No1 Theseo - 1 unit win
No10 O'Lonhro - 1 unit win
No1 Theseo - 2 units place
Rosehill R7 - The overall depth of the field in this $70K
1200m race is rather strong as would be expected at Carnival time so it will
realistically take a stakes quality horse to win here, there is 2 horses in
this field who both make strong appeal under such a scenario and both are at
good prices allowing us to back both for a result across the race,
Empire Place is one of 2 runners engaged by David Payne here and is
the 2nd elect of his two in order of betting but his recent trial form is
very strong suggesting he may be ready to come back at new career high level
here, he has had 2 trials in prep for return to racing here 1st off
finishing 2nd to Rangirangdoo btn 0.4l who subsequently came out and won at
G2 level 1st up, at his 2nd trial Empire Place bolted up by 4.3l defeating
LIbertarian and Chinchilla Rose another 4l away in 3rd, this is the best
trial form he has produced which is generally very strong prior to the start
of each prep so he may be now up to winning in stakes company as last
preparation he was up to winning in $70K company on Saturdays which was 1
level below stakes company (Listed), he gets in on the minimum here and is
very well weighted, the other one who looks a potential stakes class
performer in this field is the very well bred 3yo colt from the Snowden yard
Sigma, his form from his last few preps suggests he is only
a few lengths below the likes of KIdnapped and Tickets which makes him a
minor stakes class galloper on the make and being lightly raced he still
offers significant scope for further improvement, Empire Place is 6/1 in
early markets and Sigma is at 10/1 so there is enough depth in their prices
to back both for a result across the race.
BETTING ADVICE
No7 Empire Place - 2 units win
No11 Sigma - 1 unit win
No11 Sigma - 2 units place
Rarely do we do what we will do in this race but here we will be backing 3
horses instead of the usual 2 to win and at the prices they offer up very
good value and look to have the race between them, this once again as per
usual for this race at this meeting each year looks a super strong form race
for future reference with no less than 7 of them capable of winning above
the class required to win here but the 3 we will back stand out clearly
above the rest, confidence of a positive result is good.
Mornington R2 No4 Gauteng (1) - 2nd up from a spell here
and happy to forgive the 1st up effort at Sandown when btn 6.9l by Rockface,
better than that form suggests, go on 3rd up effort last prep when 2nd btn
0.1l by Gardner over 1400m at Sandown on the Lakeside course, held sway that
day over Kidnapped 3rd and Head Over Heels 4th with other smart type well
beaten further back through the field, well drawn for a near perfect trip on
pace tracking a fairly strong pace, very well bred by More Than Ready out of
the above average Flying Spur mare Roedean, Dunn booked for astute yard of
Lee Freedman, the major hope in our eyes and at 11.00 in early markets
represents very good value.
Mornington R2 No14 Suzebabe (1) - represents the astute
Moody yard and well bred for speed by Testa Rossa out of the Snippets mare
Springfire who is also the dam of Debutant Stakes winner Spring Warrior,
comes into this having 2nd career start and is 1st up from a spell, won on
debut at Bairnsdale over 1000m clocking very fast time compared to the rest
that day over similar trips, 2nd and 3rd home in that race were multiple
winners in their next few starts adding very good depth to the form, drawn
ok to secure a good on pace trip, right in this at the weights and at 8.50
in early markets represents good value considering the hot yard it
represents and the natural scope for improvement it possesses.
Mornington R2 No12 Here No Tears (1) - the 3rd elect here
but right in it and at the early price offered of 18.00 can not be ignored,
1st up last prep failed in G3 company behind Avenue then finished 6th at
Sale, put away straight after so obviously did not come up right that prep,
prepared to forgive those runs and go on form from 2 preps ago, broke maiden
at 2nd career start at Kilmore over 1112m by 2.3l defeating I Need To Fly
who franked that form placing then winning a $30K race 2 starts later, 4th
home Elvine also franks the form back through Quick Blush, at the weights
rates 3kg below Gauteng but has scope for further improvement, overly well
bred by Dehere out of the Filante mare Boo Who who herself is a half sister
to 1000 Guineas winner Macedon Lady.
WIN BETTING: Gauteng 2 units win @ 11.00
Suzebabe 2 units win @ 8.50
Here No Tears 1 unit win @ 18.00
Note this market is set to 140% at early fixed odds so it is
very likely better prices will be available about all runners closer to post
time when market should get closer to 115% with bookmakers and around
103-105% on Betfair.
With our Feature Race Previews knocking off numerous big collects since it
started back in early January on Magic Millions day including the very big
collect on Our Aqaleem 2 Saturdays ago we felt it was time to bring you
another Feature Race Preview for FREE to remind punters how good this
service is
Sandown R5 - 1400m 3yo $30,000
A high class 3yo field meets us here for the 5th race on the card at Sandown
on Wednesday and it is sure to prove a very good form race for identifying
future race winners with the overall class of the field well above the
advertised $30K purse on offer.
With Linton being such a short price in this market and with so many lightly
raced improvers with good scope in the field there is good value in finding
something to beat it. Admittedly Linton does look above average on the back
of its 7l maiden win at Cranbourne over 1400m where it ran very good time
but at such a short price (2.25 or 5/4 on Tuesday night) we can speck a few
here that have very good upside at big double figure odds.
MAHMENTUM is 1st up from a spell here having only its 3rd
career start and is deceivingly very well bred by Al Maher (3/4 relation to
Redoute's Choice) out of the Rhythm mare Set Rhythm who herself is a
half/full sister to 2 high class stakes winners Capecover (Cape Cross) and
Upsetthym (Rhythm), on debut it broke its maiden status by 4l at Cranbourne
on a slow track defeating Xenophon 2nd and Buzabout 3rd, Xenophon came out
next start and was beaten 5l by Carrara in Listed company and then 3.9l by
Tribunal in strong Open 3yo company, the form refs through Buzabout 3rd and
Clever Hans 4th that day also read very well to suggest Mahmentum's maiden
win was well above average, here it is likely to go forward and either lead
or sit on pace under only an even tempo and get a very good trip with little
pressure from the 5 alley, winkers also go on 1st time which is a bonus and
should help it get the 1400m strongly, at 40/1 in early betting it is big
overs and warrants specking.
LEGISLATURE from the very astute and firing John Thompson
yard who represents big spending owner Nathan Tinkler who had a bag full of
winners across the eastern sea board last Saturday is also one to keep a
close watch on, it is by leading sire More Than Ready out of the
Conquistarose mare Rose Of Latika making it a full relation to 2005 2yo
1600m G1 winner Carry On Cutie who won the 3rd leg of the triple crown being
the Champagne Stakes, she also annexed the G2 Sweet Embrace Stakes, she
hasn't shown a lot in 4 career starts so far but her trial form prior to her
1st career start was well above average when she accounted for Pergram,
Arrived and Noesis over 800m at Cranbourne in good time, her 1st up run this
prep she was thrown in the deep end taking on Listed company and was eased
back to last and not suited by a leader dominated affair, this drop in class
will suit her well and on breeding and trial form she may well surprise at
big odds, 25/1 in early betting also warrants specking.
STELLAR ACADEMY is the 3rd of the trio at big odds that may
surprise here, at its 2nd career start it chased home the well above average
Hanks over 1400m at Sale making strong headway from off the pace, its
closing pars were superior to Hanks that day (btn only 0.2l) and Hanks went
on to win the AAMI Vase at G2 level 4 starts later, Stellar Academy proved
that effort was no fluke by winning 1st up this preperation over 1211m at
Yarra glen knocking off Morfontaine with a good gap to 3rd and Morfontaine
the start prior was a close up 2nd to The Handsome One who franked that form
winning a $70K Open 3yo race next start over Doubtful Jack before taking on
the invincible Denman at its next 2 starts, Morfontaine also defeated
MAHMENTUM in a very strong trial at Cranbourne before MAHMENTUM spaced them
in debut as noted above, Royal Academy is drawn well to secure a good trip
and if it recaptures that 1st up form from 3 starts ago it too may surprise
at the big quote on offer of 40/1 in early betting.
All 3 of these horses have very good scope and warrant respect, admittedly
LINTON did look very good on debut but now it must take the next step and as
do these 3 noted above but at the bug differences in price we feel there is
more merit in specking these 3 to beat Linton.
WIN BETTING: 2 units Mahmentum @ 41.00
1 unit Legislature @ 26.00
1 unit Stellar Academy @ 41.00
total outlay 4 units,
PLACE BETTING: 4 units Mahmentum @ 9.80
2 units Stellar Academy @ 9.80
total outlay 6 units
USA Horse
Racing Ratings for Saturday 6 February 2010
The major stakes racing action starts to hot up in The USA leading
towards the 3yo triple crown over the next few months and as part of our
extended coverage of world wide high quality racing we now bring you ratings
for selected USA Race meetings covered on Betfair.
Saturday 06 February sees us provide horse racing ratings for 10 meetings
for USA horse racing including meetings from Santa Anita, Golden Gate,
Turfway, Turf Paradise, Aqueduct, Turf Paradise, Sunland Park, Sam Houston,
Gulfstream & Delta Downs.
Stakes races covered in this lot of ratings includes the following stakes
races, in total we have covered 75 races for the day from 10 tracks, we do
not rate maiden races of any kind.
Saturday, February 6
DONN H. (G1), Gulfstream Park, $500,000, 4&up, 1 1/8m.
GULFSTREAM PARK TURF H. (G1), Gulfstream Park, $300,000, 4&up, 1 1/8mT.
LAS VIRGENES S. (G1), Santa Anita, $250,000, 3yo, f, 1m.
STRUB S. (G2), Santa Anita, $200,000, 4yo, 1 1/8m.
ROBERT B. LEWIS S. (G2), Santa Anita, $150,000, 3yo, 1 1/16m.
SUWANNEE RIVER S. (G3), Gulfstream Park, $125,000, 4&up, f&m, 1 1/8mT.
Louisiana Premier Night Championship (r), Delta Downs, $200,000, 4&up, 1
1/16m.
Louisiana Premier Night Distaff (r), Delta Downs, $150,000, 4&up, f&m, 1m.
Louisiana Premier Night Prince (r), Delta Downs, $125,000, 3yo, 7f.
Louisiana Premier Night Starlet (r), Delta Downs, $125,000, 3yo, f, 7f.
Louisiana Premier Night Matron (r), Delta Downs, $100,000, 4&up, f&m, 5f.
Louisiana Premier Night Sprint (r), Delta Downs, $100,000, 4&up, 5f.
Whirlaway S., Aqueduct, $100,000, 3yo, 1 1/16m.
Leroidesanimaux H., Santa Anita, $65,000, 4&up, 1mT.
Wishing Well H., Santa Anita, $60,000, 4&up, f&m, 6 1/2fT.
Louisiana Premier Night Gentlemen Starter (r), Delta Downs, $55,000, 4&up, 1
1/16m.
Louisiana Premier Night Ladies Starter (r), Delta Downs, $55,000, 4&up, f&m,
1m.
Budweiser H., Sunland Park, $50,000, 3&up, 5f.
Super S., Tampa Bay Downs, $50,000, 4&up, 7f.
Likely Exchange S., Turfway Park, $50,000, 4&up, f&m, 1m
Meydan, Dubai -
Preview for 04 February 2010
Thursday 4 February 2010 represents the 2nd meeting set down for the new race track
purpose built in Dubai to host the Dubai World Cup from 2010 onwards called Meydan. We will be highlighting
5 selected races on this card, the quality of bets looks rather strong. Of
particular interest to Australian followers is Race 3 with the engagement of
the regally bred Redoute's Choice South African G1 winner Musir who is on
trial for the UAE 2000 Guineas and looks hard to beat.
Race times listed in brackets after each race
number are UK times.
Meydan R1 (14:35) - Shapes as a race with a few seen
chances on paper and as per usual hard to line a lot of them up with form
references coming from various racing centres. We have decided to lean
towards SWIFT GIFT on top who won a high class Heritage
Handicap at Ascot in May 09 over 7f defeating Nezami and Dhaular Dhar
1.7*1.3l in a large 27 horse field, form refs out of that race suggest Swift
Gift is potentially a Group class performer so it is in well weighted, the
other potential high class runner that can't be ignored is the Brazilian
import AL ARAB who comes into this in fine form off the
back of a Listed win at Cidade Jardim in Brazil last start, scored
impressively over the mile that day 2.7*3.7l and that franked its high class
Group 3 win at the end of December 08 when it knocked off two former Group 1
winners in the form of Quick Road and Biologo. Also minor claims exist
around Skysurfers, Uncle Tom and Ocean's Minstrel but preference is for the
first two mentioned and they should be fighting it out with the class edge
in their favour.
Betting Advice - Meydan Race 1
No13 Swift Gift (1) - 1 unit win
No8 Al Arab (1) - 1 unit win
Meydan R2 (15:10) - not the highest quality raced and only
a few of these realistically make appeal from a class point of view and one
of them on exposed class stands out over the others, that is
GALLAGHER, if the real Gallagher shows up here he will beat this
lot hands down, that fact that Meehan has engaged leading UK hoop Jamie
Spencer for this ride gives us good confidence the horse is ready to fire
1st up from the 5 month lay off, as a juvenile in 08 he ran Lord Shanakill
to a half length in the Mill Reef stakes over 6f at Group 2 level, he hit
the line hard that day making up strong ground from off the pace suggesting
this 7f trip may be his best go, Lord Shanakill franked that form when he
was nosed out by Intense Focus next start over 7f in the Group 1 Dewhurst
and then he trained on as a 3yo finishing 1.7l 3rd to Mastercraftsman in the
Group 1 St James Palce Stakes and also won at Group 1 level in France in the
Prix Jean Prat at Chantilly, Gallagher's best effort of his 3yo campaign
last season was a deceivingly strong win over Plum Pudding at Newbury over
the 7f trip by wide margins, the beaten brigade was well above the
advertised class of that race suggesting he still retained his Group level
ability, the other horses engaged here are simply not Group class horses to
the level of Gallagher, he has them covered.
Betting Advice - Meydan Race 2
No2 Gallagher (2) - 3 units win
Meydan R3 (15:45) - a high class field of "3yo's" greets us
here on trial for the UAE 2000 Guineas, we must remember that the Southern
Hemisphere bred horses from Australia, Brazil and Argentina are actually
4yo's by Southern Hemisphere standards but under the handicap conditions of
this race it is basically WFA with penalties, Mick De Kock has a phenomenal
record in Dubai and he saddles up an impeccably bred Australian colt in the
form of MUSIR here who is by Redoute's Choice out of the
Encosta De Lago mare Dizzy De Lago who herself was a potential blacktype
winner after placing in stakes company in Australian on debut when 2nd to
Crystal Wit, Dizzy De Lago only raced 3 times before her career was cut
short, Musir is a G1 winner in South Africa taking out the high class form
race The Golden Horseshoe at Greyville over 8f last start by a widening 3l
margin and the form through the beaten brigade suggest it was a Group 1 win
of the highest merit, he is clearly the one to beat and stable confidence is
high, the other Southern Hemisphere horse that may figure is the well bred
type now trained by Saeed Bin Suroor from Argentina in the form of
PERCUSIONIST who is by Southern Halo out of the Woodman mare
Breadcrumb who was unraced, Percusionist was very impressive winning by 7l
over 6f at Palermo in Argentina on debut and the form out of that race looks
high class Group quality for the area, he should be able to transform it to
this level required to be highly competitive, forget the European breds in
this, they are not the class of these 2 previously mentioned, Musir and
Percusionist will fight this out and both are serious UAE 2000 Guineas
contenders.
Betting Advice - Meydan Race 3
No1 Musir (2) - 3 units win
No8 Percusionist (1) - 2 units win
Meydan R6 (17:40) - This is a Group 3 contest over 9f and a
few high class types are engaged here that are well above the advertised
Group 3 class of this race, clearly the best of them looks to be
CROWDED HOUSE from the Meehan / Spencer combination again, he has
been off the scene since July 09 when he was well beaten 6th of 12 behind
Sea The Stars over 12f at Ascot, he only started twice as a 3yo last season
before going amiss so we prefer to go back to his high class 2yo form as a
point of reference including his 3.5l win in the Group 1 Racing Post Trophy
at Doncaster over 8f, once clear that day 2f out he put paid to the large 15
horse field in a twinkling and hit the line strongly, he is by Rainbow Quest
out of a Woodman mare so 9f to 10f looks to be his optimum trip, Spencer was
also onboard that day so he knows the horse well, the best of the rest looks
to be between Oiseau De Feu, Alexandros and Frozen Fire who resumes for the
astute De Kock yard but Crowded House looks to have their measure as a
proven high class G1 winner.
Betting Advice - Meydan R6
No5 Crowded House (1) - 2 units win
Meydan R7 (18:15) - the overall quality of this field in
terms of Group quality horses is not that great but the German bred horse
TITUREL is lightly raced and offers very good scope for
further improvement here and gets the services of leading hoop K Fallon, he
is by Dr Fong out of the Acetango mare Tucana and the 2nd dam is by
Trempolino so it has enough stamina in its pedigree to suggest it will stay
the 14f trip here, last start having only its 4th start it was sent out a
short priced favorite in a Group 3 contest at Hoppegarten in German and
didnt come on at the business end and was subsequently put away and spelled
after that run, obviously it had excuses, it won 3 on end prior to that and
at its 3rd career start scored by a widening 5l margin at Baden Baden
defeating a well performed Galileo mare who came out and won a strong Listed
race with ease 2 starts later franking the form, the start prior Titurel was
sent to Chantilly in France where it also won impressively knocking off
Puchet 2nd who at its previous 3 starts finished 2nd at Group 1 level each
start in Argentina at Palermo and San Isidoro, 3rd home in that same race
behind Titurel was the smart Daressalam who the start prior was beaten the
same 2l margin in Group 2 company in Germany suggesting once again that
Titurel is Group 2 level as a minimum with scope for improvement in German
racing, that is strong enough to win this contest that is devoid of real
Group racing depth of horse flesh.
Betting Advice - Meydan Race 7
No4 Titurel (1) - 2 units win
Meydan, Dubai -
Preview for 28 January 2010
28 January 2010 represents the first meeting set down for the new race track
purpose built in Dubai to host the Dubai World Cup from 2010 onwards called
Meydan. We will be highlighting selected races on all 10 meetings to be held
there across the 2010 Dubai Racing Carnival culminating in the Dubai World
Cup meeting in March 2010.
The two Australian imported gallopers look to be the major players here on
exposed form, both Aichi and Desuetude represent the Godolphin yard after
doing their juvenile and 3yo racing in Australia. Other seen chances here
are Frosty Secret and Indian Chant, European raiders Axiom and Musaleem have
minor claims but it is the Australian pair who look set to fight this out.
It is very hard to go past the top class Australian sprinting form of Aichi
who 3 starts ago finished a high merit 3rd in the Newmarket Handicap at
Group 1 level beaten only 1.2l by Scenic Blast who went on to conquer the
best European sprinters at Royal Ascot a few months later. Axiom and Musaleem are definitely not up to the class of the horses Scenic Blast beat
at Royal Ascot so they can be comfortably left alone here as also rans.
Desuetude did beat Aichi in February 08 when they were early season 2yo's
but Desuetude definitely has shown as much improvement as Aichi since then.
Indian Chant is a Group 3 winner at Churchill Downs in The USA and the form
out of that race does looks reasonably strong but he has been off the track
since July 08 when he was down the track behind Benny The Bull at his last
appearance, still on exposed form he must be respected. Frosty Secret was
very good last season in Dubai finishing 2nd to Big City Man and then
getting nosed out by Hammadi in a very strong listed race at Jebel Ali at
his last start in March 09, he is proven in the conditions but still it is
the Australian pair who look to have a class edge and they are likely to
fight it out.
A few Group quality stayers with significant upside are engaged here, the
main chances are given to Topclas and Sopranist but also minor claims are
given to Art Of War, Halicarnassus and to a lesser extent Merchant Marine
and Khor Dubai. Topclas does look the one to beat coming into this off
strong form in France which includes a Listed win at Clairefontaine 2 starts
ago over 12f defeating Cirrus Des Aigles 2nd who came out and won at Group 2
& Group 3 level at its next 2 starts before last start finishing 1l 5th to
Daryakana in the G1 Hong Kong Vase and the start prior to finishing 2nd to
Topclas also won at Listed level by 6l, that is clearly the best exposed
form here. Sopranist is a lightly raced improver with big scope by Singspiel
who last start finished a close up 2nd to Roman Republic over 10f at
Goodwood in the Summer Vase Handicap for a 37K purse having only its 4th
career start, form refs out of that race compare favourably to smart staying
prospect Fareer who won the Britania Stakes. Art Of War was 4l 2nd to Gloria
De Campeo and 8l 3rd to Asiatic Boy here back in February and March of 09
giving it outside claims here and Halircarnassus is next best on its form
placing behind Kite Wood and Illustrious Blue back in July and August of 09.
Clearly the form around Topclas on its Listed win at Clairefontaine gives it
the edge to kick off its Dubai campaign on a winning note here and is
obviously being aimed at much better races over the 10 meet carnival.
1st. No3 Topclas 3.60
2nd. No11 Sopranist 4.50
3rd. No6 Art Of War 6.60
4th. No1 Halicarnassus 6.60
Topclas can be backed with good confidence here at the assessed price of
3.60 or better, no public prices are available yet.
Topclas winning at Clairefontaine in France (comes from
last entering the stretch in the green sleeves and nose roll)
More races to be added soon........
Past
Editions Of Features Section
Use the links below to access past feature pages
Features up to and including January 2010 -
Click here
Features up to and including October 2009 -
Click here
