Today’s best bets, by Chris Cook
We’re getting into a Sir Mark Prescott time of the year, July and August usually being the peak months for the Newmarket trainer. Indeed, it seems to me that in years gone by he barely used to have a runner before July, though he’s had almost 100 in 2017 so far.
Prescott fields Piedita (2.10) in the opener at Catterick and I’m a bit surprised this one isn’t favourite, now that the expected favourite, Staff College, is a non-runner. She’s 5-2 in a field of five, which is mildly disconcerting because I tend to think that the market is a pretty good guide to Prescott runners.
Anyway, Piedita’s career has followed a familiar pattern to this point. Bred to need time and distance, she achieved little in three starts at up to a mile as a juvenile and now starts in handicaps off a modest rating.
Being by Authorized, she is likely to appreciate the recent rain that has turned Catterick good to soft, as well as this step up to a mile and a half. The pedigree of Second Page, her market rival, is not so convincing as to this distance and indeed he finished rather weakly when trying it for the first time last month.
Later, there has been support for Danot (5.05) from an opening 9-1 down to 6s. This chestnut was rated more than a stone higher when he joined Jedd O’Keeffe a couple of years ago, since when he has failed to win. Still, there have been a couple of respectable efforts, including this year, and the thing that makes him really interesting is the excellent form in which O’Keeffe’s horses have been since Danot last ran. The yard has won two Listed races in that time, having never won one before.
In Bath’s opener, 6-1 looks all right about Staffa (6.10), a lightly raced filly who achieved a career best when scoring for the first time on Lingfield’s Polytrack last month. Her mark has barely gone up and the way she’s finished her last two races is encouraging in the context of a big-field contest back on turf.
Tips for all Wednesday races
Yarmouth
2.00 Pranceabootthetoon 2.35 Ode To Glory 3.10 Avenue Des Champs 3.45 Omeros 4.20 Cool Team 4.55 Turning Gold (nap) 5.25 Daring Guest
Catterick
2.10 Piedita 2.45 Mraseel 3.20 Tie Em Up Tel 3.55 Our Charlie Brown 4.30 Addicted To You 5.05 Danot 5.35 Great Colaci 6.05 Kody Ridge
Lingfield
2.25 Port Paradise 3.00 Quinquereme 3.35 Hearty 4.10 Honourable Knight 4.45 Take Shelter 5.15 Firenze Rosa 5.50 Wardy
Kempton
5.55 Anonymous John 6.25 Dangerous Ends 6.55 Rock N Roll Global 7.25 Jane Rose 7.55 Pastoral Music 8.25 Bush House 8.55 Madame Bounty
Bath
6.10 Staffa 6.40 Trick Of The Light 7.10 The Detainee 7.40 Epicurious (nb) 8.10 Compton Prince 8.40 Arctic Sea 9.10 Nadia Promise
