Marching Mac was gambled off the boards for the first selection of the day.
He was advised as an 18/1 shot, but a serious amount of money came for him throughout the morning and early afternoon, and he was sent off as the second favourite at 7/2. Despite the money coming in and the favourite taking a slight drift, the favourite won with ease and in the manner of a smart progressive horse. Marching Mac ran an odd race, and I am surprised he finished second, as it didn't look likely from the second he left the stalls.
However, the less said about Who's Glenn the better. It was an awful performance, and that horse is evidently going backwards. He was quite keen in the early stages and positioned towards the rear under Buick. He tried to make up ground to get competitive, but was going up and down on the spot. No excuses today, and I wouldn't touch him with Monopoly money in the future.
Zolder 9/1 (0.5pt EW) – Kempton 6.30
Apprentice races are often very dodgy due to the inexperienced jockeys, but Alexandra Egan looks like a really special talent in the making. It's not a surprise that she is very good, as she is the daughter of John Egan and David Egan is her brother. She has a very strong strike rate this season, with five wins from sixteen rides, which is a 31% strike rate. To add to that, she has been placed a further seven times, which means she either wins or places on at least 75% of her rides.
Having a good jockey in these races is all well and good, but you need a horse with a decent chance to match that. Zolder seems to have a good chance at the weights, which might not look as obvious as he was 7th/12 on his last run. I think you've got to ignore that most recent run at Windsor, as that came on soft ground. There is a chance that Zolder might not come for this race, as that race was on Sunday, so it's a very quick turnaround, but the booking of Alexandra suggests they do fancy their chances in this race.
The form to focus on is the time before, which came over today's course and distance. He managed to finish third in that race on handicap debut, finishing 0.75L behind the winner. In hindsight, it was a solid run because he was keen and had to be switched to have a run. That showed that he handled the polytrack surface, and when you think that he is now carrying 5lb less than when he ran in August due to the rider's claim, he has a very solid chance of winning and shouldn't be overlooked in the market.
The trainer, Denis Quinn, has been enjoying a very good season with the small number of horses he has at his Newmarket stable. He is operating at a 20% strike rate.
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