Whenever Bet365 boost a short-priced horse, it generally results in disaster.
They're not dumb, the pricemakers at Bet365, and their horse traders are some of the best in the business, so when I saw Kalpana was boosted, I did fear the worst. She had no excuses and was beaten by better horses. Maybe it was the result of some tough races through the season, and she had little left to give at Ascot.
Highwayman also had no excuses in the stayer's race. He was positioned nicely by Dylan Browne McMonagle, but he was very one-paced and lacked the change in gear which is needed at the top level of that division. The likes of Stradivarius and Kyprios could find that switch and kick clear or catch the leaders, and Highwayman lacks that.
Snellen 5/1 – Leopardstown 3.42
Based on what we know and have seen from Come What May, his price is short, but he was promising on his debut last month.
I really wanted to take him on, and even though there aren't solid pieces of recent form to take him on if he was to improve, I thought Snellen offered a good chunk of value.
Gavin Cromwell's filly scoped dirty the last time she ran in July. That is a concern, as are the fitness issues, as she hasn't been on the track in 92 days. This is definitely the reason why we are getting the price that she is, and it wouldn't surprise me if she drifts in the market, with further support likely to come in for the favourite.
Prior to last time out, Snellen had run some good races this year. She was third over seven furlongs to City Of Memphis, which has seen that form franked. At Royal Ascot, she was fifth in a Group 2 behind the likes of Blue Bolt and Friendly Soul, both franking the form since.
Snellen's best run in terms of RPRs was at this track, a furlong shorter than today, in last year's Group 3. She beat Purview that day, and that horse has won two Class 1 races this year, including an RPR of 121. It seems that if Snellen is going to return with a big performance over this trip on today's ground and around Leopardstown, that would be what the Cromwell yard would ask for.
There is every chance that we see another Aidan O'Brien top-level performer in the making. Come What May is a full brother to Derby winner Desert Crown, who took big strides from race to race. But on the off chance that he isn't, Snellen is a solid alternative.
GambleAware