Both of Wednesday's selections were poor, and that's the way it goes sometimes.
I did expect a lot better from both of Wednesday's runners, so it was a big shock that they both ran the way they did.
Abduction was keen throughout, and the jockey decided to let the horse win the battle as she allowed him to hit the front miles from home. He didn't see the trip out, but had no chance of getting the extra furlong after the way he pulled.
Ukantango was horrendous. He was backed into favourite, so I was expecting him to be tough to beat, but he wasn't at the races whatsoever. It was strange to see Sean Bowen give up on him as well, so maybe he was injured, because normally Sean will chuck the kitchen sink at every ride, even if they look beat.
This Guy 15/2 (0.5pt EW) – Haydock 2.47
I think today is a really hard day for punters, and the horses I liked the look of are on the short side, so I've decided to dodge a couple. The one horse I'm having a play on is This Guy, who must be better than what he showed on his debut at Newmarket.
My selection is the only horse in the race who has experience on a racecourse, which normally means a lot for these juvenile races, as we see all the time that horses at a young age can be green as grass and throw away any chance they had of winning. Even though my selection showed very little on debut, he was backed off the boards, into 6/4F, which is a proper market statement in a two-year-old race at Newmarket, especially with horses from Godolphin and respected yards.
He wasn't an expensive purchase in terms of the flat world, but he has a solid pedigree, being by Blue Point and out of a Class 1 placed mare who has produced many winners.
It's strange that Clive Cox has decided to go again at another decent track and against some big yards when he could have easily gone to a track like Bath, Salisbury or Windsor, which he likes to send runners to. He has a very strong record with two-year-olds at this track in the last five seasons, so I do believe they have a nice horse on their hands, as the money coming in on debut was eye-catching, but also this venue also suggests it. Clive Cox is 6/19 (32% SR) with a further 6 inside the top three in the last five years.
I understand that Clive's main jockeys this season are not on board, but he does use Hector quite a lot, and Hector has ridden a lot for these owners in recent years, as he rides a lot for Ralph Beckett.
GambleAware