Today’s best bets, by Chris Cook
Oh Lordy, we’re top of the Naps Table with three days to go, thanks to Mr Corrigan’s 9-2 winner yesterday ... You know those dreams where you’re playing in a Cup Final and you’re bearing down on goal and someone slides the ball across to you with just the keeper to beat from 15 yards out?
Well, that’s not quite how it is today because I’ve contrived to pick exactly the same horse for our Tuesday nap as Whistler of the Sunday Telegraph, now lying in second, just 50p behind us. This is either good in that he can’t go past us or bad in that we can’t stretch our lead.
Either way, it really ought to count as encouragement for those who fancy Phosphorescence (3.50), the beast in question. When I tell you he’s a seven-year-old who’s averaging one race per year, you’ll get the picture: talented but fragile, he goes in the mile handicap at Yarmouth.
By Sakhee out of a daughter of Shiva, he was originally trained by Sir Henry Cecil, passing on to Lady Cecil and thence to George Scott, for whom he is unbeaten in one single start. That came in the Leger Legends race last September, in which he made all in first-time blinkers under Joseph O’Brien.
Of course, it’s a mistake to take Leger Legends form for gold. And yet Phosphorescence looks like a horse who might be extremely well handicapped on his revised mark of 72, just 2lb higher for that success. The opposition today is far from terrifying and odds of 5-2 are very fair. Let’s hope he can make it hard for someone to go past us in the dying strides of this six-month Naps campaign.
Earlier on the same card, Theydon Grey (2.45) makes his debut for William Haggas, having been moved from the yard of Peter Charalambous. The grey was able to win first time out last year and Haggas is likely to have him ready for this reappearance. He’s 15-8.
At the same odds, Victoria Says (2.55) could be the pick of the Hexham card after a “nearest finish” fourth of 20 on her hurdles debut at Navan three weeks ago. From the Stuart Crawford yard, she should relish the extra mile and has to beat a Malcolm Jefferson bumper winner who has done well in defeat in two hurdles starts and looks beatable once more if there is anything with an ounce of pace in the race.
I did think about napping in the last race of the day, which would at least have had the virtue of keeping our hopes alive until a late stage. Joysunny (9.10) comes from the in-form Mick Easterby yard, improved to be second on her handicap debut last time and can do better again in this smaller field. Her main opposition comes from Gnaad, whose two wins have come at Southwell.
Tuesday racing tips
Yarmouth: 1.40 Marine One 2.10 Testbourne 2.45 Theydon Grey (nb) 3.15 Edith Weston 3.50 Phosphorescence (nap) 4.25 Fire Brigade 5.00 Trick Of The Light
Hexham: 1.50 Ceegem 2.25 Pekanheim 2.55 Victoria Says 3.25 Heist 4.00 Hattons Hill 4.30 Young Hurricane 5.05 Schiaparannie
Ludlow: 2.00 Excellent Team 2.35 By The Boardwalk 3.05 Rene’s Girl 3.35 Noche De Reyes 4.10 Dragon De La Tour 4.40 Brody Bleu 5.10 Atomic Rumble
Brighton: 4.50 Global Exceed 5.20 Fleeting Glimpse 5.50 Lyfka 6.20 Becca Campbell 6.55 Andalusite 7.25 Magic Moments 7.55 Soaring Spirits
Wolverhampton: 6.00 Bracken Brae 6.30 Love And Be Loved 7.05 Canny Style 7.40 Stepney 8.10 Pick Of Any 8.40 Tavener 9.10 Joysunny
(all times BST)
