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I’VE been waiting on Keith Dalgleish slipping QASR (12.40) into an all-weather maiden after running too free and fading in two recent bumper runs on deep ground at Carlisle and Ayr.
Well, he duly turns up today at Southwell over 1m 4f but I’m a bit surprised Dalgleish is happy to take on Roger Varian’s Gakku.
Varian’s filly would be a good thing if able to produce her last run in a Listed contest at Lingfield when fourth to the Queen’s Daphne. She runs off 78, which looks generous if the Lingfield form is taken literally as she was surrounded by horses rated in the 90s, and if Qasr gets close to Gakku it will blow his future handicap mark.
That prospect doesn’t appear to concern Qasr’s connections and the colt’s bold front-running style will have most of his rivals in trouble before the home bend.
Gakku wears blinkers, and probably for a reason, as she didn’t look entirely straightforward when failing to catch Godolphin’s Song Maker at Chester (heavy) in mid-September.
Ralph Beckett’s filly Frown made a promising debut when third at Wolverhampton three weeks ago over 1m 1f and should appreciate the step up in trip.
She will help make the market and the way to go is probably to bet Qasr each-way at an early price.
BELGRAVIAN (3.40) wears everything except the kitchen sink (a tongue-tie, hood and cheek-pieces) but Archie Watson’s gelding could well recoup Chelmsford City losses from five days ago.
Things went horribly wrong from the start at the Essex track and the three-year-old was cramped for room almost throughout. He had earlier demolished his field from the front at Kempton and he is perfectly berthed in stall one to attack from the start.
This is an amateur riders’ event and it should go without saying that Simon Walker is an excellent booking.
Gatillo is well enough handicapped to take a hand in the finish but usually compromises his chance by starting slowly.
SWIFT CEDAR (12.10) is worth an each-way interest in the lunch-time opener.
Fran Berry gets the leg up for the first time and Swift Cedar knows his way around this track, having scored from favourite Busy Street here in March.
The David Evans-trained gelding had a nice run out at Leicester (third) and demoted runner-up Entangling fairly bolted up at Kempton last week in a decent handicap.
Swift Cedar is hardly well drawn in stall 10 but is usually held up, so I expect Berry will tuck him in behind.
Recommended bets
- Southwell 12.40 – Qasr ew 10-1 bet365
- Southwell 3.40 – Belgravian 5-2 Skybet
- Southwell 12.10 – Swift Cedar ew 11-4 bet365
