Sunday’s Racing Tips – Sergeant can defy 8lb rise at Fontwell

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It was a profitable Saturday with Master Builder winning and Vultar grabbing a place at advised odds of 12/1.

I didn't catch any racing yesterday, so I'm unable to comment on the performances of our selections. We ended the day in profit and that's all that matters.

We only have two meetings on offer on Sunday within the UK and Ireland. We do have a summer jump meeting which might interest those who prefer the jumps to the flat.

I had a lot going on yesterday and I haven't had much time to study Sunday's racing. I wasn't going to bother posting, but I have found one horse in my spare time to go alongside Rizzel's two selections.

Cairnzy's Tips

Sergeant 7/4 – Fontwell 3.40

The summer jumps meeting at Fontwell is nothing to rant and rave about in terms of quality but I thought I'd throw up a selection from it to add something different as Rizz has stuck with two selections on the flat from York.

The ground at Fontwell is currently good to soft, but forecasted overnight showers are expected to make the conditions testing by morning. The testing ground conditions is a concern for most horses in this field, and after a glance through their form, I couldn't find evidence of a stand out ‘mud lover' between them all. Given the uncertainty surrounding this field on testing conditions, this race appears to be a bit of a risk in terms of having a bet. Nonetheless, I'll be having a play anyway!

You can make claims for every single horse in this field, even Stream Of Stars who hasn't been seen since 2021 but the horse I like the most is Sergeant for trainer Anthony Charlton and jockey Sean Bowen. I was impressed with the lads recent outing, which saw him romp home two weeks ago at Newton Abbot by seven and a half lengths. My selection has been hit with an 8lb rise for that recent success which of course asks further questions of him but it doesn't look out of reach either. Sergeant steps up in trip from 2m1f to 2m3f for this contest, he's untried at this distance but given the manner of his recent victory, I'd say it's well worth a crack and could also potentially unlock further progress for him this season.

From the remainder, Finest View has been consistent this summer but also a frustrating sort as she's finished second in her last three outings. The Height Of Fame was another of interest, Karl Burke's runner arrives in good form and should stay the trip but the ground conditions was a worry for me.

Rizzel's Tips

Azure Blue 7/1 EW – York 4.00

We don't have much racing to go off for Sunday, with York being the only card which is going to be affected by a huge amount of rain (Fontwell and Longchamp are).

I'm going back to an old selection of mine for the Listed race and that is Azure Blue. It seems a bit strange not to see Paul Mulrennan on board this Michael Dods filly as he has ridden all but four times in her nineteen-race career, but going off Paul's recent rides, he hasn't had a ride since 31st August so I'm guessing he's been hit by a ban. Connor Beasley has been the go-to man for over twelve months for Dods but I think the owners have opted for David Egan to take the ride as he was the last jockey to get a win on her other than Paul Mulrennan, so I don't think there's much to read into this jockey booking, and in fact it's a positive one.

Today's race is competitive on paper, with the majority of horses being a few pounds different in the official ratings, but I think if Azure Blue can bounce back to her peak form, she could be too good for this field. Azure Blue has been lightly raced over the last two seasons, especially in 2023, which was the best year in her career. She has followed the typical Michael Dods sprinter profile by getting better with age, and she proved that by winning a Group 2 at this track in May of last year. The form of that win is without a doubt the best on offer, as she was ahead of Highfield Princess who sadly lost her life recently but was a multiple Group 1 winner, and managed to win the L'Abbaye at the end of last year. A repeat performance of the York win for Azure Blue will be near impossible for the others to be contest with as that level of form is miles clear of what the others in this field have achieved to date.

It hasn't quite gone to plan since that win in the Group 2. She was tried at Group 1 level at the July Cup, which didn't see her run to her best. This year, she took a while to get into her rhythm, eventually winning a Listed race over 5f at Ayr and then last time out in the Nunthorpe she didn't manage to get involved, but the track bias that week was ridiculous and many in that race had the same issue. However, I do think she is better over 6f, so the return to this trip should be ideal, especially following a likely strong pace set by Quinault and a couple others. I'm expecting a much better run this time around as there appears to be no excuses with the ground or the trip or track, so this is her time to show she belongs at this level.

Huddle Up 14/1 EW 6 Places- York 4.35

For this big-field handicap, I've gone for the horse right at the bottom of the weights in Huddle Up who is making his third run for new trainer Jack Jones.

Jack is still a new trainer who is finding his feet, with this being his third term at the helm. This season has gone decent for him, he's had 17 winners and normally likes to keep his runners to the South, so it's interesting that they have sent his runner up to York in a very competitive handicap off what appears to be a winnable mark.

Huddle Up hasn't won a race since he was trained in Ireland by W McCreery. He managed to win twice as a 3-year-old, winning on heavy ground and yielding, so he definitely took to the softer ground conditions. He then moved to The Barron stable where he ran with credit on multiple of occasions, being placed in seven races but didn't manage to get his head in front. For Jack Jones that trend has continued with the horse finishing 2nd/10 and 3rd/11, so that is slightly concerning as you have to question does the horse really want to win and go through with the final efforts when the jockey gets serious, I am hoping that it's just bad luck. His two runs for his current trainer have been encouraging, with the latest assignment being a big eyecatcher. He broke slowly from the stalls and had to settle for a position towards the rear. He cruised through the race, finding it tight for space of a couple of occasions and then had to switch around a horse in the final furlong, to finish on as a closing third. Based on that, I think the environment of a big field handicap could be well suited for him, as long as the gaps appear as he seemed comfortable and brave to go through the tight gaps and the way he travelled is something you need to do for races like this.

Dylan Hogan rides most of Jack's horses and they have a decent strike rate of 13% when combining. Also, when Hogan has been on board he has been placed in the top four 71 times, and when you add that to his wins of 22, that means he has been in the top four 93/173 which is just over 53% of the time, and with extra places on offer, that seems a good stat to chuck in.

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