Monday’s Racing Tips – Back Old Cock at Pontefract

Los Angeles reversed the placings with Ambiente Friendly, who to the eye, didn't stay the trip as well as the winner. I'd be surprised if connections keep him over 1m4 and I fully expected him to be dropped back a furlong or so.

July is a new month and I'm delighted to welcome back my good friend Rizzel to the thread. We will be working together as a duo on the thread and fingers crossed we can land some winners together.

Cairnzy's Tips

Old Cock 5/2 – Pontefract 3.45

My main selection for today is Old Cock for trainer Ed Bethbell and jockey Callum Rodriguez.

Old Cock had a combination of wind surgery and a gelding operation before stepping foot on a race course. You can only assume he had his issues at home. He has made an encouraging start to his career with two wins and a fourth in three runs to date.

He made his debut at Newcastle on the AW back in April which saw him finish fourth of thirteen, four and a half lengths of the eventual winner Gunlock. He was fancied in the market that day to run a big race ( sent of a 4/1 ) and after looking back at a replay, there was a lot to like about the performance.

Old Cock took a step forward from debut when breaking his maiden at Ayr a few weeks later. The fourth and fifth-placed horses have since won races, boosting the form of that particular run.

My selection was then sent to Haydock for his most recent run, which saw him win again of a starting mark of 77. Connections stepped him up from the mile to 1m2f for that race and it seemed to unlock further progress as he relished the extra distance, staying on well within the final furlong to get up and win by half a length. The form of that race has recently received a boost with the third-placed Campaign Medal winning on his next outing.

Old Cock comes here 6lb higher, however, he remains an unexposed horse given he's only been raced three times, and with more improvement expected, he should be bang there at the finish.

Mays Hill 7/4 – Worcester 5.30

For my second selection of the day, I've gone for Mays Hill in the finale at Worcester for trainer Fergal O'Brien and jockey Jack Hogan.

I can't remember the last time I put up a selection over the jumps, the flat season has been a bit hectic up to now and  I've been up to eyeballs of late with Royal Ascot, so It never really appealed to me to even look at any jump meetings.

I thought I'd run my eye over the Worcester card and my eye was immediately drawn to Mays Hill in the final race of the day.

Her most recent outing at this very same course and over the same distance was a step in the right direction. She finished second behind Giulietta, a progressive sort from the Skelton yard. Although beaten 11L into second on that occasion, the form of the race reads very well. The winner Giulietta followed up to win again on her next outing, while the third also went on to win the next time out.

This contest doesn't look particularly strong on paper and looks like an ideal opportunity for Mays Hill to get back to winning ways. Jockey Jack Hogan takes of 3lb which aids Mays Hill's chances even further.

Rizzel's Tips

Bbold 10/3 – Worcester 2.55

I’ll start off with the two ‘in form’ horses, and they are Almazhar Garde and Bbold. Both horses have a similar path to this race. They met earlier in the season when the former finished one place ahead of the latter, and they both arrive with a win next to their name. I’d say Bbold has the stronger form with the runner-up of his race finishing second to a well-handicapped horse at Cartmel on the weekend and given that this lad has won three times at Southwell which use the same type of fences that Worcester uses, he clearly has a liking for this type of fence and gets my vote for this race which does look tricky on paper. And even though he is running off a 6lb higher mark than last time, he has won off 125 two times before in Class 3 races, so he is more than capable off today’s rating.

Yes Indeed is a horse I’ve always felt that there is a good amount of ability but he’s yet to show that on the track. However, I’ve felt that he is a horse for longer distances, so on good ground at this trip, I’m not sure that it will suit, but he is on a very good mark if he wants to show his ability.

I’m sure AJP Kingdom will be strongly fancied with just two chase runs next to his name, with an improved effort last time out. I’m not fully convinced the form is as strong as what it might appear to be, and off 12st I’m more than happy to swerve him. Also, it’s a bit of a concern that Fergal O’Brien’s yard hasn’t had a winner in the last fortnight, as this period of the season when he is at his best, as the big yards don’t send out many runners, so that’s something to take into consideration if you’re a backer of AJP Kingdom today.

Hidden Depths doesn’t seem to be too well-handicapped off a mark of 118. He’s rated much higher than he is over hurdles, but his win at Sedgefield was in a much weaker race and though he is lightly raced, I think he is exposed and will struggle off today’s mark.

The Cobden booking catches the eye on Urban Grit, and though he is running off a low weight, his PTP winning form doesn’t stack up too much when you look at what those horses have achieved when finishing behind him.

Composite 13/8 – Windsor 7.45

Carrying top weight of 10st 4lbs will not be an easy task for the son of Cracksman, Composite, but the way he has been running, there still looks to be more to come. George Boughey’s 4yo colt will have to have a fair bit up his sleeve to win this race as he has been punished quite severely, with a 5lb penalty on top of his new mark, which seems a bit strange, but the way he won last time out over a mile suggests a return to slightly further will not be a problem for him. We already know that he stays further than the mile as he was a winner in a maiden at Wolverhampton in the Winter over 12f, and then followed it up with a win over 11f. He seems to have the stamina for today’s trip, but also the pace which is a great combination to have as a racehorse, as it doesn’t mean he’s one dimensional and whatever the race develops into, he has the tools to combat it.

On recent form, Aerospace has to be deemed as the main competitor to my selection. He ran a good race to finish second over today’s C&D earlier this month. His form has been kept to the all-weather for the most part until that recent run and he showed that he handles the turf perfectly fine. There is a bit of collateral form with the two at the head of the market with the horse named High Spirited. The latter name horse was 1L behind Aerospace when in receipt of 10lbs and he was 2.5L behind Composite when that pair met when in receipt of 8lbs, so based on that, my selection holds the upper hand, even with a 5lb difference between the Watson and Boughey horse.

None of the other horses really stand out. Wisper is a good horse who travels well through his races, but his winning is mainly done at Brighton. He is a C&D winner, but his mark looks a bit tough against horses who continue to be on the rise. Andaleep has never won off a rating this high, so the same comments apply to him. I thought that Spirit Of The Bay was the potential fly in the ointment at larger odds. This horse made his first start for new trainers after moving from Clive Cox’s yard but evidently needed the run. He is on a decent handicap mark and could run a big race, but you’d have liked to have seen more from him last time out.

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