Ecclefechan wasn't positioned in a great place, but he was never going to trouble the winner, no matter where he was placed in the race.
He got checked a little when he was one-paced and was attempting a run up the rail. I was dubious about him being outclassed, but I thought the race wasn't full of talent; ultimately, I was wrong.
The other runner on the day was a non-runner, so it was a shame we had to settle for an underwhelming performance.
Classiest 6/1 (EW, 3pl) – Galway 6.30
Apart from the favourite in this race, I didn't think this was an outstanding Listed race. The favourite obviously has a solid chance, but she is carrying 9st 12lbs, and that might be giving too much weight away to Classiest.
We don't know how good Classiest is, as she has only run twice, but her pedigree is very strong, and she is from Aidan O'Brien's stable. She won at Galway on her debut, but wasn't seen until last month, when she returned at Gowran Park and finished third. Due to the time away from the track, you'd like to think that she desperately needed that run, especially with a lot of O'Brien horses needing their first outing of the season.
She has run to an RPR of 93 and 90 from her two runs to date, which means she'll need to improve by at least 10lbs or so to be in with a chance if the favourite runs to form. That seems more than fair for a lightly raced filly with the pedigree she has and with the master trainer. The step up in trip is a question mark, as she has run over 1m 1.5f as her furthest, and her pedigree doesn't scream further, but who am I to question Aidan?
She is currently 6/1, and I've seen much worse each-way bets in my lifetime.
Manxman 11/8 – Goodwood 3.50
At first, I thought it was best to avoid Manxman for this race, as surely he is aiming for the Cesarewitch races. However, when the weather forecast is predicting 18mm of rain before the start of racing, that makes Manxman an attractive bet, even at short odds.
When the rain starts to pour, I can envisage his odds shorterning up a lot, as he is proven on heavy ground and ran a respectable race in this race twelve months ago.
If I'm being honest, if the forecast is correct, I imagine that the second and third favourites will heavily debate not participating, even with a small field. They have both been pulled from recent races for ‘unsuitable ground' when it was soft. I'd love it if they do run, as we won't get hit with a Rule 4.
GambleAware