It appears that every horse I've backed in recent weeks hasn't run great.
I slated the form of Skukuza, and like normal, I've ended up with egg on my face. He was impressive in today's race, but given I didn't rate the field, he might be flattered. My fancy, Currawood, was honking. He was in the perfect position to pounce on the winner, but he looked very flat.
Songhai was out wide in her sprint, had every chance if good enough, but she simply wasn't.
Headmaster 6/4 (2pt) – Windsor 6.45
I was a big fan of One Master when she was running and winning Group 1 races for William Haggas, so it was nice to see her first foal run well on debut.
Headmaster ran a blinder at Lingfield on his debut over the extended 7f. Given his pedigree of being out of a multiple Group 1 winning mare and being by Dubawi, he wasn't strong in the betting. That suggests he was undercooked or they knew he wasn't going to showcase his ability first time out. Even though he didn't win, he showed plenty, and when the penny dropped inside in the final furlong, he nearly pegged back the winner, who has won again since.
Tom Marquand is on board after not taking the ride on his debut, and with that experience under his belt, I think he could be tough to beat in this race.
Despite backing a Haggas horse at Pontefract who was awful, I am keeping the faith in the yard. The William Haggas remains in good form with an 18% SR in the last fourteen days, with many placed horses as well.
Toca Madera 7/2 (1pt) – Windsor 7.15
The way things are going at the moment, it would not surprise me if a previous selection was to beat my fancy for this race. I've tipped up Havanagreattime and Zoulu Chief this season, but they didn't run too well.
This is a tricky sprint for a Monday at Windsor. Toca Madera has been running consistently in defeat this year, and it looks like it will be a matter of time before he finds a third career success.
For most of his career, he has been running over 5f, but it looks like he lacks the pace for that trip. He was a course and distance winner in the Racing League this time last year. He put in a good performance off a handicap mark of 94, which will be 3lb higher than today's rating. Tommie Jakes takes off 5lbs, so his mark of 96 will be dropped to 91, making him an attractive bet now running back over 6f.
His form this year is strong, and arguably the best in this race. He has been defeated by Regal Envoy on two occasions, and was third at York behind Jm Jungle and American Affair. Both horses have franked the form massively since. The winner went on and won the Group 1 at Royal Ascot, and the runner-up won the Epsom Dash.
GambleAware