Dance A Jig returned to form and profited from a small field, which I thought was going to suit.
At moments I thought he wasn't going to get a gap, but when he did I had no doubt that he was going to win. He did it quite easily.
The Caltonian travelled strongly, but too strongly to put a dent in late on. He was a little too keen throughout the whole race, which is always annoying from an experienced horse. The money came in for him, and he could only muster up fourth place, one out of the EW places.
Tilted Kilt 12/1 (0.5pt EW, 4pl) – Haydock 4.40
In races like this, I think taking a look at jockey bookings gives you an insight into what is overpriced and what is the opposite. Oisin Murphy has got a very good relationship with Saeed bin Suroor, yet he is not riding Mountain Cat when he has ridden that horse on two of the three starts he's had. Instead, he's opted for Tilted Kitt for William Knight.
In a race like this, there is always a chance that a couple of the lightly raced horses are ahead of their handicap marks, but it's not always a guarantee, which is why I thought the each-way angle on Tilted Kilt was the play.
Tilted Kilt is winless on turf, but his best runs on this surface have come at this track. He has finished as a runner-up on two of the three visits to Haydock, and one was in the Silver Bowl, which is a competitive Class 2 for three-year-olds. His other run was in a Class 4, and he should have won that day. He was repeatedly blocked in running and only lost by half a length.
He is 1lb higher than when finishing second in the Silver Bowl last year, but he is a year older physically and mentally, and I thought he was a steal at double-figure prices. Murphy has a 31% strike rate for the yard in the last five years, so a lot of things point towards a good effort.
Parachutiste 7/4 (2pt) – Deauville 12.58
It's hard to get too carried away with a horse when they have Mikael Barzalona in the saddle, but I'm fairly confident in Parachutiste.
I didn't give him a strong chance when I tipped Sons And Lovers in the same race as him last time out, but this lad should have won and should have done it with ease. Barzalona made a pig's ear out of it and overcomplicated it, which is something he does regularly.
If you saw the race, or have time to watch the replay, then I'd advise watching it before backing him. He was cruising through that race, but for some reason Barzalona didn't press the button, and by that point the winner was in top gear and was tough to beat.
I think this drop in trip can only be seen as a positive. His speed is very good for the trip, and if he comes there swinging with a couple of furlongs to go, I'd be extremely confident.
GambleAware