Cairnzy has kindly chipped in to do the Lucky 15 on Saturday, due to Rizzel having commitments and not having the time to complete this thread.
Quest For Stars 4/1 – Newmarket 1.55
The horse I like in this contest is Quest For Stars for the inform Charlie Appleby yard.
Charlie Appleby runs two in this race, and with William Buick opting for Inner Law, you’d assume that horse is his best chance.
I had a glance between their form lines, and I didn’t think there was a whole lot between them. Both have won listed contests, with Quest For Stars being the slightly more experienced of the two, having had two more runs under the belt.
My selection's unbeaten run came to an end last time out at Leopardstown when he was pitched into the Group 1 Golden Fleece. He managed a third place finish that day, which I thought was a good effort as he was slowly away from the gates. He made up some nice headway when making his challenge but just looked like he ran out of petrol. It’s normally game over when you miss the break at that sort of level, so to finish third given the circumstances, I thought was a good effort.
Bet365 are offering 3 places in this race, so I thought he was worth a place in today’s lucky 15 bet.
Alwaysanangel 9/1 – Newmarket 2.27
If the winner of this year's Cheveley Stakes doesn’t come from one of the top 3 in the market, then I’ll be extremely surprised.
If I’m honest, I’m finding it hard to look past Sun Goddess. She’s been super impressive and has won from positions in the past where she looked well beaten. You could argue 13/8 is good value for the horse, but I’ve opted to go down the value route and roll the dice on Alwaysanangel.
It’s a pity we only have the 2 places on offer for this contest, as it obviously hinders our chances of at least grabbing a place, but I do think JP’s charge is being slightly overlooked in the market at 17/2. Her form lines aren't that much worse than those of Senorita Bonita and Libertango, and although she does have to find a little, I wouldn’t rule that out of the question. JP is having a great season this year; he’s booked William Buick for the ride, and I think there’s every reason to believe she can be involved in the finish in this contest.
Inner City Blues 13/8 – Newmarket 3.00
I really fancy the chances of Inner City Blues for this year's Middle Park Stakes.
He’s a beautifully bred horse, and he just looks a real straightforward ride. He’s unbeaten in two runs to date, and he couldn’t have looked any more impressive in my opinion.
Charlie Appleby has a decent record in this race, having landed it three times, and I wouldn’t rule out Inner City Blues taking a further step forward on his third run to take out this better calibre of opposition.
At the prices, I was tempted by Marco Polo. He hasn’t been as impressive as those above him in the market, but I did like the attitude he showed to get his head in front last time out. He was sent off favourite for the Gimcrack and was ultimately disappointing that day, but he must have been showing enough to be sent off favourite for that contest to suggest it’s early days to write him off.
The Fingal Raven 9/1 – Newmarket 4.50
The prices at the time of writing are not on offer for the 4.50 at Newmarket on Saturday, but I am hoping we can get a decent double-figure price for my selection, The Fingal Raven.
My selection has only won twice in his 21 starts to date, but he has been running with real credit of late, finishing second at Ascot earlier this month before a seventh at Newbury. Importantly, that Newbury run was in a 16-runner field and he was only around a length and a half behind the winner. He also has previous solid form over this 7f trip, including a third at Goodwood in a large field.
Bet365 are offering 4 places in this contest, and he makes a decent each-way play in an open-looking race.
GambleAware