Today’s best bets, by Chris Cook
Just as Royal Ascot has an official car (the Porsche Cayenne, since you ask), next week’s race-meeting now also has an official build-up controversy. You’d have thought it might be about medication, since we have so many US runners this time, but instead the subject is whether America’s Wesley Ward was given an unfair advantage when the track allowed him to work his two-year-olds up the straight on Wednesday.
The Newmarket trainer Michael Bell told the Racing Post: “It’s no big deal but it doesn’t sit quite right. In a Grand Prix you have grid practice – they are getting grid practice and we aren’t. With an inexperienced two-year-old, to go on a reconnaissance mission would certainly be beneficial because it is very daunting for two-year-olds.”
He has been backed up by the Qatari owner Sheikh Fahad, whose racing manager said: “If Ascot allows Wes Ward to gallop his horses at Ascot, they should allow everybody.”
In response, Ascot said it has been offering a pre-Royal meeting gallop to overseas raiders for years. Apparently, the same privilege is offered to British runners at Arlington and Belmont in the US as well as at tracks in Japan, Turkey and Singapore.
Personally, I can’t share the resentment that’s been expressed. I dare say track experience may help a juvenile, however brief that experience is, but Wednesday’s work was hardly under raceday conditions. There will be an extra 50,000 people when those horses return to Ascot and, if they’re the type to be intimidated, they will still be intimidated.
Meanwhile, the British horses have had opportunities to actually run in races at Ascot in the past couple of months, if their trainers had them straight enough to do so. And they won’t have had to cross the Atlantic the week before racing. So I’d say that home advantage is still significant. But, as ever, let me know what you think in the comments section below.
York is a difficult place to get winners, mostly because of the tremendously large average field size, but I like three there today. The Feathered Nest (4.05) was fancied at Ripon last time but was one of only two to race on the far side (the other was eighth) and got done half a length by a rival who had others to race against. The third won her next two.
From the Richard Fahey yard, The Feathered Nest is a 9-2 shot and I imagine she’ll be popular again.
Theydon Grey (4.40) is becoming popular at 7-2. He took three starts to win after joining William Haggas from Peter Charalambous but kept on well under Georgia Cox, who keeps the ride. Fast ground and this extra distance can help him get the double up, with just 4lb extra to carry.
Earlier, it might be a mistake for the market to leave Power Game (2.20) on 33-1, this being a first timer for David O’Meara who has already won with such a horse at this track this year, at big odds. Saeed bin Suroor raced him almost exclusively on Polytrack and he won first time out last year before becoming frustrating, but there’s nothing in his pedigree to suggest he shouldn’t cope perfectly well with turf. He’s only 3lb higher than his last winning mark and O’Meara is going well.
The nap is Gloriosus (8.15) at Goodwood tonight. A Mark Johnston three-year-old, he disappointed the market on his first two starts but came good at Beverley with a switch to front-running. He doesn’t look at all harshly treated and is bred to keep on improving. The 9-2 is fine.
Friday racing tips
York
1.50 Sosian 2.20 Power Game 2.55 Our Little Pony 3.30 Sun Lover 4.05 The Feathered Nest (nb) 4.40 Theydon Grey 5.15 Opposition
Sandown
2.00 Glaceon 2.35 Falmouth Light 3.10 Call Me Grumpy 3.45 Shargiah 4.20 Time Chaser 4.50 Dream Machine 5.25 Dominating
Newton Abbot
2.10 Old Harry Rocks 2.45 Red Hanrahan 3.20 Gowell 3.55 Bagad Bihoue 4.30 Foxy Act 5.00 Goonjim 5.30 Country’N’Western
Chepstow
5.55 Klosters 6.25 So Sleek 7.00 Squiggley 7.30 Sheer Intensity 8.05 Frank Bridge 8.35 Showmethewayavrilo 9.05 Nachi Falls
Goodwood
6.05 Royal Household 6.35 Joe Packet 7.10 Mudaarab 7.40 Road To Dubai 8.15 Gloriosus (nap) 8.45 Harbour Rock
Aintree
6.15 Petrou 6.50 Minotaur 7.20 Buachaill Alainn 7.55 Curious Carlos 8.25 Theflyingportrait 8.55 Gold Chain
