Thursday’s Selections & Updates (04 August)

A couple of observations made while sifting through tomorrow’s cards.

For the first time in five races (including 2 wins), Seb Sanders is not aboard Jewelled  in the 19:55 Sandown tonight – Richard Hughes is up while Seb takes the ride on Rock The Stars (for Hills who he regularly rides for).  I’m not suggesting that either the owner or trainer was displeased with the ride that he gave Jewelled last Monday at Windsor, but plenty of punters were!  Unlucky in running is the official description .  Holding a horse up at the back of the field at Windsor is guaranteed to make you as ‘unlucky’ as a chicken that’s wandered over the border into Kentucky having first fallen in a vat of mixed herbs and spices!
Seb has redeemed himself and then some after a clever double bluff tonight!  He made all on Tenby Lady in the 19:20 alone down the far side in the home straight and then on Spa's Dancer in the 20:25, while the rest of the field followed in his 19:20 footsteps, he raced alone on the stands side this time and won again.   

None of the first three left in the running for the Champion Jockey title managed to find a winner today and I was reminded that Buick is 4^th in the running.  I can’t see him finding the extra winners (he’s 20 behind SDS) to overhaul the leader but stranger things have happened!  SDS is starting an 8 day ban tomorrow so Hanagan has a perfect opportunity to get back the lead.  Hanagan and De Sousa are both Northern based jockeys with Fallon having started his UK riding career based in the North.  Must be something in the water!

Tomorrows system selections:

Brighton

14:30     Paradise Place (4.3) UP

15:30     Plattsburgh (4.8) UP

Chepstow

18:20     Madison Square (3.75) UP

19:30     Cwmni (9.4) UP

20:35     Polar Annie (5) 1st  

Sandown

19:20     Tenby Lady (3.85) 1st 


System Profit +2.85

MILES & MILES

Yarmouth 14:50 3yo Fillies Handicap 8f, Class 5

A small field of 6 with 3 runners making their handicap debut, none of which are particularly well treated.  Starbound does the best of these three however and does have the benefit of Adam Beschizza's 3lb claim on top.  Tempting though Starbound is, I have gone for Empress Charlotte.  Hayley is up (as on previously occasions) and the 3 front runners should set the race up nicely for EC - who although beginning to look a little exposed, remains on a winnable mark.  She was denied a clear run LTO and came within a head of a win the time before that & should be able to shed her maiden tag today.

Empress Charlotte 4/1 (& a rf with Starbound) 1st 

Haydock 16:10 3yo Handicap 8f, Class 3

Roger Varian isn't just sending Roman Eagle this distance for the travelling experience and with a strike rate in 3yo races here of 45% that alone should be enough to commend!  Neil Callan is on stable jockey duty (Jack Mitchell was riding LTO for his seasonal 'warm up' finishing 6th just 6l off the leader in a hot class 2).  Baptist placed ahead of him that day but did have the advantage of being drawn near the rail whereas Roman Eagle was in the car par!  I will imagine (hoping?) Callan will drop in just behind the leader(s) so cannot see any problem with this track and getting his head in front on the line!

Roman Eagle 4/1 UP 

Sandown 18:10 3yo Handicap 5f, Class 4

Not a mile race but a horse worth a mention is Volcanic Dust - a front runner who has the plum draw (5f low draw = 68.75% winners) and who won't have any problems should any rain arrive (fine with conditions as they are also).  We know he likes right handed (won at Leicester) and the stable is firing them out at the moment so 2/1 seems a very decent price to me. 

Volcanic Dust 2/1 1st