Daryz managed to win the Arc for a second year in a row, and I think he's been lucky that this year's race wasn't the strongest.
You can only beat what's in front of you, and I didn't think he was a terrible price; as I said, he was the one to beat. I gave Haggas' horse a try, and he was keen throughout and never featured. It was a fairly average run, and I do think he is better than what we saw.
True Love's race didn't unfold how I expected, and I wasn't sure she was going to get the win until the photo finish. She took an age to get rolling, but her stamina kicked in and she nabbed the race when it looked highly unlikely with 100 yards to go.
Andesite 4/1 – Pontefract 3.15
It looks like a tough day for punters on Monday, but I think I like the look of two at Pontefract.
The first is Andesite, who arrives at Pontefract in very good form. He has won on his last two starts, and he hasn't gone up too much in the handicap, which should allow him to have a strong chance of landing the hat-trick.
His last two wins were on slower surfaces than what he faces today, but he has run well on a similar surface in the past, including this season. His wins were by narrow margins, but he could prefer this shorter, but stiffer trip. He is drawn well to attack from stall 4, and I am a keen advocate of backing in form horses, rather than trying to find one who will bounce back to form (still partial to that as well from time to time).
Stormy Impact 4/1 – Pontefract 3.50
I've been a supporter of Stormy Impact for the last couple of years; he has delivered us with wins and near misses, and he deserves another chance after being beaten by small margins at Hamilton last month.
The main problem for Stormy Impact is he isn't a fast starter, so five-furlong races put him on the back foot from the start. He gets motoring in his races, and it all comes down to whether those ahead have gone too quick and if he can mow them down. He didn't manage that at Hamilton last time out, but he was coming strongly at the line.
Today, he reverts back to six furlongs, and I don't mind it. The faster ground and six-furlong combination, mixed in with an uphill finish, means that his stamina will be needed. The main problem will be if he can get the run of the race, as it can become extremely messy at Pontefract when they swing for home, with nowhere to go if you're near the rail.
GambleAware