Thursday’s best bets, by Chris Cook
Ah, fast ground at last. Newmarket’s July meeting will offer a pleasing contrast to Epsom, Royal Ascot and Sandown’s Eclipse meeting by providing actual good to firm for three days of quality racing, starting today.
Or at least we have been told to expect good to firm. I see the clerk of the course has actually had his watering can out to the extent of 5mm yesterday, which is a bit of a risk, given that there’s some rain in the forecast for the next two days.
Anyway, it should be fine today for A Momentofmadness (3.45) in the sprint handicap, for which he just doesn’t want it soft. From four starts in handicaps this year, his only defeat was on heavy.
Bred to be fast, this three-year-old is unbeaten in two since the hood was fitted and has finished strongly both times, suggesting this step up to six furlongs may actually help. He comes from the Charlie Hills yard that has a 19% record with three-year-old sprinters. Andrea Atzeni rides. What’s not to like? He’s 14-1, which seems big to me.
I have my doubts about Prize Money, who heads the market for the opening Bahrain Trophy. He’s a son of Authorized who has looked a bit ploddy and has shown his best form on soft ground, so it’s no great feat of the imagination to foresee him getting outpaced by something on this faster surface, even though he steps up in trip.
Perhaps Harbour Law (2.10) may be the way to go at 9-1. A winner at this distance on a fast surface at Sandown in May, he was beaten only by Aidan O’Brien’s Sword Fighter in the Queen’s Vase and that one has since bagged a Group Two.
Silver Line (2.40) is another beaten horse from Ascot who could score here, in the July Stakes. The Godolphin colt missed the kick in the Norfolk and came from last place to be beaten just three parts of a length by two rivals whose energies had been used more evenly. The runner-up has won since, albeit at Listed level.
At 6-1, Silver Line appeals because he suggests there could be significantly better to come. There is no doubting the quality of the form of Mehmas, the Coventry runner-up, but I’m not sure he offers the same upside.
Tipping competition, day four
Our winners so far:
Monday
Dark Defender 100-30
Bashiba 15-2
Montsarrat 100-30
Tuesday
Spirit Raiser 2-1
Johnny Cavagin 10-1
Nigel 7-2
Wednesday
Brigliadoro 11-2
First Wheat 6-1
Generalship 14-1
And our leader is:
kingklynch +17
… who bounded to the fore thanks to Brigliadoro AND Generalship. BatmanKaisers (+14.83) suffered a winnerless Wednesday but pkhughesy92 (+14.50) moved into third thanks to Generalship.
Today, we’d like your tips, please, for these races: 3.15 Newmarket, 3.45 Newmarket, 6.05 Newmarket.
This week, we’re offering you a second chance to win a copy of the much-praised Mr Darley’s Arabian, by Chris McGrath, who used to turn out high-quality prose about horse racing for the Weekender, the Times and the Independent. This is a history of our sport, described in an Observer review as offering “a teeming, colourful survey” of its many stories, drawing on “a cast that takes in aristocrats and nouveaux riches, playboys and industrialists, Smithfield meat salesmen and the rulers of Dubai”, according to a press release from the publishers. If you don’t win, you can buy it here.
As ever, our champion will be the tipster who returns the best profit to notional level stakes of £1 at starting price on our nominated races, of which there will be three each day up until Friday. Non-runners count as losers. If you have not joined in so far this week, you are welcome to do so today but you will start on -9.
In the event of a tie at the end of the week, the winner will be the tipster who, from among those tied on the highest score, posted their tips earliest on the final day.
For terms and conditions click here.
Good luck!
And post your tips or racing-related comments below.
