Racing tips: John McConnell eyes up a couple of weak races up at Ayr

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Saxon King improved Charlie Hills' record in that specific race at Newmarket with his third win in that race in recent years and I thought Buick gave him a peach of a ride from the front.

Queen Of Fairies, who was probably my main hope of a win on Sunday was very poor, putting in a flat run. Mammas Girl ran an okay race in the 1000 Guineas, but nothing was getting close to the front two, they looked to be in a league of their own, I thought the horse back in fifth, Dance In The Grass could be a live player in the Oaks at big prices, I thought she was one for Epsom when studying the card on Saturday and the way she ran on nicely suggests she could run a big race.

Ayr 2:55 – Zahee 8/1 (0.5pt EW Coral 4pl)

I think today's racing is fairly poor, and not much caught the eye apart from the John McConnell duo up at Ayr. His first runner on the card is Zahee, and to say this horse was given a tender ride is an understatement when he finished 9th at Limerick in a 16-runner handicap 16 days ago.

He was positioned in last place when turning for home under today's rider, Cillian McConnell, but he was travelling smoothly through the field and taking a few places in the process, but the jockey never looked to throw the kitchen sink at him, and he met in trouble in running. Whether he would've gotten close enough to win is up for debate, but he would've been in the first three, and that was over a mile, looking like he was capable of running better over further, so today's 10f trip should be right up his street.

His run at Limerick was his first run for 226 days, and his odds of 28/1 would suggest he had plenty to come for that run, as John McConnell is as shrewd as they come and the money would've been much shorter if they went there with a proper chance. I think it's interesting they come over to Ayr for this race off the same mark as last time. He seems to handle any ground, so the overnight rain doesn't bother me about affecting his chances.

Ayr 5:10 – Lex Maxima 4/1 (1pt Paddy)

The second runner on the card for team McConnell is Lex Maxima, and for them to bring over a 49-rated horse for a 3k race seems a little strange, especially when the quality in this race looks fairly bottom of the barrel.

He has done most of his running on the AW but his pedigree would suggest the overnight rain will be perfect for him, being by Lawman, who is a Sire who handled the soft ground when he was racing and has produced many soft ground horses. He is a half-brother to Clive Cox's Scholarship has won on soft ground and is 93 rated. This horse won't reach the heights of that horse, but the fact he handles soft ground is a good indicator that today's forecast ground will be perfect for him.

He has gone close over the winter when finishing as runner-up at Dundalk over 12f, so he definitely has the ability to be competitive in a low-tier race like this. Joe Fanning is an interesting jockey booking, he is 1 from 5 when riding for John, and has been placed a further 2 times. I've known Joe to be one of the best on a front-running horse, as he has played that role for many years on the Johnston horses, so with this booking, I'd imagine they might place him more prominently.

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