Superstorm was given a better ride than the other tip, but was beaten by a 22/1, which sums up Class 6 racing in a nutshell.
I don't have anything to complain about with Superstorm. He had every chance to win, and battled hard when the last challenger came, but was beaten in a very tight finish. It just stings a bit when it's a massive outsider who beats you.
River Wharfe couldn't go the early gallop, which was a decent one. He was towards the rear and didn't really quicken from off the pace, but did finish a modest fourth.
Amber Hamur 7/4 – Musselburgh 3.15
I am a big fan of when a horse gets transferred to a new stable, and when they get there they improve with every run. Amber Hamur fits that bill, and he is on course for a hat-trick.
Unfortunately, we've been given some horrendous quality racing over the last two days, and Class 6 racing isn't my speciality. But Amber Hamur looks to be progressive and will be running in better quality races sooner rather than later.
He has run three times for Edward Bethell since moving from George Boughey's yard, and he might have swapped yards at the right time. This stable has been in tremendous form over the last month or so, and he is firing at a 29% SR in the last fortnight.
Today, he tries 1m 1f for the first time, and I think that'll suit him. He stays on well in his races over a mile and the extended mile, so the extra 100 yards has to be a bonus for him. His pedigree suggests that 1m 1f – 1m 2f will be his optimal trip, and given the rich vein of form he's in, there's no reason to believe that his progress is going to halt yet.
Fast Fred 11/1 (EW, 3pl) – Musselburgh 3.45
Until you race over this far, it's hard to know whether the horse has the stamina for it, despite looking like a strong stayer. I guess that could be said for any distance, but with this being over 2m 2f, and races like this being so scarce, it's not often you get a chance to run at this trip.
Florida Dreams heads the market, and it's fairly obvious why. He is a useful jumps horse who was 2/2 in bumper races at the start of his career. They've clearly given him the best opportunity to win staying handicaps by running him over inadequate trips to get his handicap mark. His price has halved since the market opened, and I've had my fingers burned in the past by horses with a similar profile, so I wanted to look elsewhere.
I tipped up a horse in a 1m 4f race at Chester in the middle of last month, and in that race was Fast Fred. I said in the write-up that I thought it was a very competitive race, and good for the grade. Watching it live, I thought Fast Fred ran a belter of a race. He ran over 1m 6f at Haydock in his following race, where he finished as runner-up, but it was an amateur race.
We don't know if his stamina will hold up over this trip, but he ran over the extended two miles at York last year, and he was staying on at the finish, which gives me confidence. His handicap mark is quite a tough one, but this trip might unlock some progress.
GambleAware