It’s a busy weekend of action in front of the ITV cameras with a mixture of flat and jumps racing from Newbury and Market Rasen respectively, while we have a classic contest in the form of the Irish Oaks at The Curragh.
However, it is Newbury that form the basis of this weekend’s picks with an eye on the weather once again with rain forecast for the Berkshire area.
A real decent staying handicap can go to NOVEL LEGEND. He was an easy winner over course and distance back in April and was unlucky to miss the cut for the Chester Cup. It meant he went off as a short price favourite off top weight for the consolation Chester Vase, and he bumped into confirmed mudlark Zinc White. There is no disgrace in that effort, nor his four length seventh at Royal Ascot over two and a half miles. Back to two miles here on Saturday afternoon, he can continue his improvement under William Buick.
3.00 NEWBURY – COLD CASE & EHRAZ
Only twelve got to post for the Hackwood Stakes but with Betfred paying four places on each-way bets, I like a couple at double figure prices who could trouble the judge.
COLD CASE beat subsequent Kings Stand winner Bradsell on trials day at Ascot early in May and missed the Royal meeting after being well beaten at Haydock later that month. I’m happy to ignore that Haydock form as they were strung out there all day when the stands rail was very much favoured with connections offering quick ground as a plausible excuse for being twenty lengths fifth. He had a very profitable 2yo campaign, winning the big Doncaster St Leger sales race and the Redcar two-year-old trophy. Karl Burke remains in good form and he should go well in a wide-open sprint.
The other to take my eye is EHRAZ. He looked like a sprinter to follow last year after a good sixth in the Commonwealth Cup and got a confidence boost in at the back end of the campaign at Newmarket. He returned with a fair third on heavy ground at Doncaster on April 1st but we haven’t seen him since. He has blinkers on for the first time here and if they work, he certainly has the ability to still take high rank amongst the sprinting division.
Twenty one runners go to post for the Super Sprint, but it is a case of quantity over quality and there is no doubt RELIEF RALLY’S form is way above most of the field.
She has two verdicts over Juniper Berries, including giving her weight and a beating at Salisbury before they were second and fourth in the Queen Mary at Royal Ascot. The selection only failed by a nose to win that valuable contest and has quite a bit in hand on official figures.
Bobsleigh is the only other one with a mark in hailing distance but I’m not sure he wants the minimum trip, having run on strongly to win the Woodcote and running well to the line in the Coventry Stakes.
RELIEF RALLY may be a short priced favourite, but six of the last ten winners were priced 15/2 or shorter despite the big fields while none of the last nine winners were drawn lower than 13.
Richard Hannon (senior and junior) have won eleven of the thirty one runnings between them, so any of his seven entries will be respected. La Guardia, dropping from seven furlongs in the Chesham to the minimum trip, may be the most interesting.
*18+ | BeGambleAware | Odds Subject To Change
