Once again, one of the runners was a non-runner, meaning we were down to just one for Sunday.
Ataser saw some decent money arrive for him, so it's odd that he became a non-runner. In scenarios like that, maybe the connections didn't get any of the big price, so they decide to pull them. Who knows the real reason, though?
Copacabana Sands was a little keen in the early stages, but it wasn't enough to give her an excuse for not getting closer. The form she had shown on her previous starts this season suggested she should have been bang there at the finish, but she weakened very sharply. She was very weak just before the off, going out to 9/2 after being 5/2 favourite for most of the day.
Mystical Storm 9/1 (0.5pt EW) – Carlisle 3.00
As far as Monday races go, this is a decent class 4 handicap. It's very competitive and is a tricky one to work out. There were a couple I was interested in, but I've ended up siding with Mystical Storm.
Based on his last couple of runs, stall 1 is going to be the biggest issue. He has been breaking slowly out of the gates, and that is not something you want to happen from the stall closest to the rail. However, I've got to look past that and go with the horse who will be suited by the ground and is best handicapped.
In my opinion, outside of the Fahey runner, who we know very little about, I thought Mystical Storm was sitting on a good handicap mark. All but one of his races have been over 7f, but the only attempt over 6f saw him win. He was an odds-on shot for the win over 6f at Doncaster, but he did it comfortably. You could tell he was still a baby when winning that race. When he hit the front, he swapped his legs on a couple of occasions and continued to idle. He probably should have won that by three lengths or more and still be on the bridle.
The time before last, he ran in a good Class 4 at York, finishing fourth of sixteen back over 7f. That was a solid effort, but inside the final half a furlong, you could tell his stamina gauge was flagging.
I think the slightly slower ground might be beneficial to this horse, even though he has been running on much quicker ground for the majority of his career. His pedigree points towards soft ground, and his sole win came on good ground. He looked outpaced on the good to firm last time out, so maybe the slower conditions are what he has been wanting for a while.
He is only 2lbs higher than when winning at Doncaster. Also, both the trainer and jockey are in great form at present, 33% for Ryan Sexton in the saddle and 26% for Julie Camacho.
Just An Hour 6/1 (1pt) – Windsor 6.00
Even though I didn't have any luck in the Racing League this year, I still think the form lines that the league has created as worth sticking with, as they are ultra-competitive races. Just An Hour was fourth of twelve at Windsor a couple of weeks ago in the Racing League, and I rate that as a decent effort.
Windsor might be a track that brings the best out of Just An Hour, as on both occasions this year he has run well. He won at this track in July under Oisin Murphy, and last time out, he was held up towards the rear and got into contention too late. We see a lot in the Racing League meetings that if you're held up, it's a bit of a nightmare to make up the ground, especially at nippy tracks like Windsor.
They are going back up in trip with him for this race, and that isn't a concern. He was second to a horse called Beylerbeyi the time before last, and that horse has managed to win a race at the Racing League and is now 10lb higher in the handicap than when they met.
Oisin Murphy is back in the saddle, and he has an 18% SR when riding for Rod Milliman in the last five years from over a hundred rides.
Silver Chamber 13/8 (2pt) – Windsor 7.30
I doubt we'll get amazing odds on Silver Chamber, but the form of his latest win is there for all to see.
He managed to win a small field race in Yorkshire, and didn't manage to win by big margins either. At the time, it didn't look the best piece of form, but the runner-up has franked the form by quite a margin in a short space of time.
Say What You See has been a runner-up in the Newcastle Racing League meeting, and then managed to win at Southwell last week at the final Racing League meeting of the year. So it looks like Silver Chamber has actually beaten a solid horse. Not only that, he beat the favourite at Ripon, who was priced up at 13/8, so connections of Gentle Warrior must have been confident in him that day.
The level of form from the other horses in this race isn't up to the standard of William Haggas' horse, but Furhaan has to be respected on his handicap debut whilst stepping up 4f from a mile.
GambleAware