Cairnzy will again be in charge of the racing thread this evening. Rizz will return tomorrow evening with his selections for Saturday.
Rizz reached out and asked if I would cover the racing thread again. I apologise for the late post, but I had other things on and have only gotten round to doing my study quite late into the evening.
I managed to walk away with one winner from two selections yesterday and I was happy enough at the results. My nap Gatineau Park won nicely in the end, and looks a nice prospect for connections heading into this seasons jump action.
My other selection Country Mouse ran a credible race in defeat to finish second. A few iffy jumps hindered his chances, but he gave us a run for our money as he was bang in contention towards the final obstacle. I wouldn’t give up on him, and he’s probably worth another chance, particularly on testing ground which he clearly enjoys.
Minella Rocket 11/4 – Wetherby 3:00
I can’t help but feel the market leader in this race is too short in the market to warrant a price as short as 11/8. I could be completely wrong and he bolts up but I’m willing to take my chances.
I’m a huge fan of James Owen as a trainer and Charles Darnay you’d think will be well schooled as he makes his debut over obstacles. He was a decent performer on the flat for James Owen, rated 83 having won two out of his four starts on the AW. I caught a replay of his only effort on turf, which saw James Owen’s charge finish in third place.
That contest came over 1m4f on good ground at Newmarket. He did arrive to that particular contest on the back of a 115 day break and notably had wind surgery during that time. He looked beaten a fair bit from home, but did rally well to take third place and there should be more to come from him. With that said, I stand by what I said at the start in that I feel his price seems a tad short give we’ve not seen this horse jump an obstacle.
From the remainder of the field, that left me with the Irish raider Minella Rockett. If I’m honest, I feel Minella Rockett should be your favourite for this contest. He has already proven he can jump an obstacle, given he won a maiden hurdle at Limerick back in July. Furthermore, you could argue he brings good, if not the best form to this contest. The third placed horse in that maiden hurdle contest has gone on to win twice since.
Since that maiden hurdle contest, connections opted to switch Minella Rockett back to the flat and he’s now rated 90 with recent form figures of 1114. The recent fourth came on soft ground which connections say was unsuitable. My selection will return to obstacles on more favourable ground this time around.
El Cairos 4/1 – Down Royal 2.35
There is some decent racing on down at my local track in Down Royal, and the horse that caught my eye was the Gordon Elliot trained El Cairos.
My selection was definitely lucky to win last time out at Gowan Park. He looked set for second place, but the likely winner in Ebony King fell at the last, and El Cairos went on to land the spoils.
There was definitely a lot of hype around this horse, and ultimately he probably is a bit of a hype horse, but he definitely has ability on his day. He flattered to deceive in some of the bigger jumps meetings last season, but he isn’t a horse without ability. I thought the favourite was far too short in the market and at 4/1, El Cairos looks like the value play to upset the short priced favourite.
GambleAware