Today’s ITV4 races
Connections of the speedy, mudloving Quiet Reflection have been pinning their hopes on forecasts of significant rain at Haydock on Saturday morning. But those same forecasts deterred course officials from watering the track and, now that so much less rain seems to be expected, the result will surely be a fast surface at the Merseyside track today.
I imagine Quiet Reflection will eventually be a non-runner in today’s Temple Stakes, leaving Washington DC as a strong favourite. He seems classy and consistent but might again find one too good in Kachy (4.05), from the Tom Dascombe yard that gets so many winners at this local track.
Kachy loves a bit of fast ground and may have turned in a career best in the Palace House last time, but for making an unusually slow start, possibly because of another rival crossing him. Even so, he travelled kindly and ran on well. There may be more to come.
2.00 Goodwood Mount Logan might be the pick of these but had to work hard to scramble home in this race last year and it could be worth taking him on for this seasonal reappearance. Abdon needs to build on his reappearance fourth in the Earl Of Sefton but it was interesting to see his stablemate Autocratic, sixth in that race, come out and win the Brigadier Gerard on Thursday.
2.20 Haydock Having started last season strongly, Parliamentarian became slightly disappointing but is entitled, on breeding, to take another step forward this year. He comes from a hot yard and should appreciate the extra distance.
2.40 York Dal Harraild improved nicely through last season, finishing with a win at this level at Newmarket in September. He needed his reappearance run last season, however, and it may be the same this time round, as he was a modest fourth in the John Porter last month. William Haggas’s gelding can resume his progress here.
2.55 Haydock This track was riding fast yesterday and, with the rain disappearing out of the forecast, front-runners might prove hard to peg back if they go a sensible pace. This may work out well for Rusumaat, who tried to make all at Ascot last time but ran into a promising rival. He’s been showing a useful level of form in defeat.
3.10 Goodwood Horroob looks one to stick with on the back of two wins on Lingfield’s Polytrack, quickening nicely to take advantage of a gap on the most recent occasion. He seems to have a good reputation at Roger Varian’s yard and is still fairly treated, though this is a tricky track for a 7lb claiming jockey.
3.30 Haydock Clive Cox has another flashy sprinter in Harry Angel, who was beaten only by the top-class Blue Point at Ascot last time, giving that rival 4lb. The yard has not been in brilliant form but a couple of recent winners restores confidence.
3.50 York The safety blanket in this tricky sprint handicap is Out Do, twice a course and distance winner in 2015. He didn’t do much last year but descended to a beatable rating as a result and showed renewed promise when third on his reappearance.
Meanwhile in Ireland ...
4.10 The Curragh The Irish 2,000 Guineas will not, alas, be shown on British terrestrial TV today, though you can watch it on At The Races. Churchill’s dominance of the three-year-old mile division might not survive beyond June but, for now, he is the unbeatable power and should follow up his Newmarket success, with two of his five rivals here being stablemates. Irishcorrespondent is unbeaten but takes a huge step up in class and his pedigree hints at limitations. Thunder Snow is a more plausible danger and only has two lengths to make on Churchill from their Dewhurst form but his abortive trip to Kentucky cannot have been the ideal preparation.
Tips for all Saturday races
Chester 1.55 Musical Terms 2.30 Rose Berry 3.05 Fastnet Tempest 3.40 Sands Chorus 4.15 Yafta 4.50 Emperor Napoleon 5.20 Okool
Goodwood 2.00 Abdon 2.35 Billesdon Brook 3.10 Horroob 3.45 Second Step 4.20 Batts Rock 4.55 Pettochside 5.25 Music Lesson
York 2.10 Golden Stunner 2.40 Dal Harraild 3.15 Sean O’Casey (nap) 3.50 Out Do 4.25 Zaman 5.00 Miss Sheridan 5.30 Madroos
Cartmel 2.15 Minotaur 2.45 Restraint Of Trade 3.20 Go West Young Man 3.55 Space Ship 4.30 Dursey Sound 5.05 Cousin Oscar 5.35 Jester Jet (nb)
Haydock 2.20 Parliamentarian 2.55 Rusumaat 3.30 Harry Angel 4.05 Kachy 4.35 Gravity Flow 5.10 Janszoon 5.40 Tai Sing Yeh
Salisbury 5.45 Bodybuilder 6.15 Indian Affair 6.45 Gloriux 7.15 Going Up 7.45 Magic Beans 8.15 Gunmaker
Ffos Las 6.00 Captain George 6.30 Looks Like Power 7.00 Market Road 7.30 Fortified Bay 8.00 Heist 8.30 Theatre Stage 9.00 Mac Tottie
