The Racing League continued to be a bloodbath for me this year.
Hinchinbrooke was given a strange ride by SDS. He rushed the horse towards the front third of the field, then the horse became very keen, and then he let him come back slowly. Being on the inside at Windsor is not the place to be, unless you have the rail at the front. The horse didn't look great, despite being fancied in the market.
Nakaaha was very weak in the market, which was a big shock. She went out to 9/1 and broke from the gates like a snail. When a drift like that happens, it does leave a sour taste, and when she broke the way she did, it summed the drift up perfectly. She tried making a run up the rail in the final furlongs, but by that point, the race was already over.
Just so you are kept in the loop. I have raised the issue with comments. It's a tech issue on our side of things, and the guys behind the scenes are trying to get this sorted. Hopefully, this will be back to normal soon.
Dalmally 15/8 (1pt) – Epsom 4.20
I am a big fan of when a horse has been competing in better races and then comes back to a low level. I think they get overlooked, as more often than not, when they try a harder race, they don't go close, so people automatically think they are out of form. I think this will be the case with Dalmally. Hughie Morrison's horse ran in a Class 3 race on his last start. He ran with credit, and now is back in a Class 5. This is definitely a much easier race than what he has been competing in, and I think that will be the telling difference.
The time before the Class 3, he was in a Class 5, but that was over a longer trip, which didn't seem the correct decision. Now that they are dropping him back in trip and coming back to an undulating track, I think that will also suit. He is a winner at Brighton, so it seems he handles the quirky tracks; so Epsom should be a nice venue for him.
Play Me is a horse I am concerned about. His form is slowly getting better, and his handicap mark is continuing to drop. He has a 7lb claimer on board, which means he is running off a very low weight, and Jim Boyle's horses have always been respected around here.
Marlay Park 11/4 (1pt) – Epsom 4.50
I hope the Marlay Park who turned up last time out and at the start of the season, turns up today. If he does, then we're cooking on gas; if it's the one from the back end of last year, we will have a problem.
Marlay Park enjoys this track, which might not have looked the truth when he was poor the time before last. He is actually a four-time course winner around Epsom; he isn't quite deemed to be a course specialist as his strike rate isn't the strongest, but he definitely could run this course with his eyes closed.
Due to his poor form towards the mid-back end of last year, his handicap mark has dropped significantly. He is now running off a mark of 71, and that makes him very dangerous in a Class 5. He went close in this race last year off a mark of 76. That means he is running off an 8lb lower mark than last year, as Luke Catton is claiming 3lbs off the mark of 71.
Last time out was a return to form from his runs in the middle of this season. He started the season off well by finishing second to Gincident, who has since improved around 10lbs in the handicap for new trainer James Owen. Last time at Brighton, he managed to finish in second spot, but fluffed the start and gave himself a hard task.
GambleAware