20:15 Kempton - 1m3f Handicap Class 4 - Kazawi 5/2 - 1pt Win
Yet again there’s disappointment for Racing fans this afternoon with both turf meetings from from Catterick and Leopardstown being abandoned due to the rain. And it doesn’t look like things will be improving any time soon with tomorrow’s meeting at Musselburgh and Saturday’s Racing at Stratford already being cancelled. However it’s not all puddles and pitchforks as there’s a whopping three All-Weather meetings to get stuck into today. My selection yesterday Key Player, was given a top ride from Charles Bishop to give us a lovely 7/1 winner Lingfield and I’ll be hoping for more of the same this evening on the polytrack at Kempton.
Roger Chorlton’s KAZAWI (5/2) has not been seen on the track for 256 days but I’m fancying this gelding to grab his first win this evening at Kempton after some promising runs in maidens last year. Sired by Dubawi, this 4-year-old was unlucky not to get off the mark last season producing two placed efforts with the most recent coming at Lingfield over 1m3f in July.
He was sent off the short priced 4/7 favourite that day and although he broke well and travelled well into the race he struggled to find anything extra in the final furlong, eventually finishing third eight lengths off the winner Thistimenextyear. I’m expecting Kazawi to have come on a lot over the winter and when it comes to horses coming back from a large break, there’s not much better than Roger Charlton.
Over the last two year’s Roger has saddled 102 runners that have returned from 60+ days off the track. Of those 102, he’s had 26 wins (25.49%) and 43 places (42.16%), an excellent record that certainly catches the eye. Only 6 runners line up in this evening’s contest and with both Exceeding Power and Sonnetist being off career- high marks after having won last time out, I feel this is a really opportunity for Kazawi to break his duck. Jockey Keiron Shoemark will be in the saddle and he’s rode the horse on all four of his starts so far and should know what is required of this gelding. Kazawi is currently priced at 5/2 and with the small field I’m going to recommend a 1pt win to give us back to back winners.
