Today’s best bets, by Chris Corrigan
Winning Monday’s Listed race at Pontefract, worth almost £20,000 to the first home, hardly offers Godolphin consolation for a bad day at Ascot on Saturday when none of their seven runners – which included favourites Harry Angel and Ribchester – reached the winners’ enclosure.
Old Persian, Godolphin’s representative today, is a short-priced favourite with the bookmakers and can certainly be fancied on the strength of his three runs to date, notably an easy win over today’s distance of a mile at Newmarket last time. Soft going holds no fear for this son of Dubawi, as he encountered it when running well to finish third on his debut in July.
The value in the race, though, is Learn By Heart (3.50) at 7-2. Heavy ground clearly did not suit this son of Frankel at Haydock last time and the Haggas stable’s two-year-olds have been firing in recent weeks. He handles a soft surface and perhaps his slightly better draw today can turn things against his Godolphin rival.
At Windsor, I like the 12-1 shot Haulani (2.10), who just failed by a head to catch Poseidon at Salisbury (soft, 1m2f) a fortnight ago, looking a little unlucky when threading his way through the field to make his challenge. A 4lb rise in the handicap makes things more difficult this time, but it is to be hoped that the 3lb-claiming Hector Crouch, who takes over from John Fahy, can make that concession count.
Tips for all Monday races
Windsor
1.40 Sovereign State 2.10 Haulani (nap) 2.40 Ballesteros 3.10 Wealth Tax 3.40 John Joiner 4.10 Hedging 4.40 Highway One 5.10 John Caesar
Pontefract
2.20 Hyanna 2.50 Fortunate Vision 3.20 Silvery Moon 3.50 Learn By Heart (nb) 4.20 Tranquil Star 4.50 Minotaur 5.20 Can Gerwen
Plumpton
2.30 Action Replay 3.00 Mrs Burbidge 3.30 Cheltenam De Vaige 4.00 Resolution Bay 4.30 Clondaw Bisto 5.00 Dark Mahler 5.30 Sisania
