I'm glad I didn't opt for the obvious pick of Soprana in the Listed race at Pontefract.
Imperial Quarter was my selection, and she ran well given the circumstances.
Ray Dawson opted to anchor her in the last spot, which is never ideal, especially at Pontefract. She bridged a lot of the gap from those ahead of her, but she was always going to find it difficult. In hindsight, she would have struggled to beat the winner as she returned to form and the money did speak in her favour.
Langholm 3/1 (1pt) – Catterick 2.20
I do try and avoid the Class 6 races as they are terrible races to bet in. However, I have been keeping an eye on Langholm in recent weeks as he is a horse who knows how to win, and he has been hitting the bar in his last three efforts. He is a dangerous horse to underestimate in races like this at this level, as he likes to run from the front and is often tough to peg back when on a going day.
I saw his effort at Thirsk in a Class 5 (0-70) last time out, as I had tipped up the eventual runner-up (Leap Day). He did his usual tactic of running from the front, and they only managed to get past him late on, which saw him lose the runner-up spot in the final strides.
Langholm is running off the same mark as last time out, which automatically gives him a superb chance of winning this. Today's race is much weaker and is a drop in class, so a repeat performance will likely be good enough to secure the win.
He is a two-time course winner, so he does like the venue. He is drawn in Stall 2, so as long as he breaks well, he will get the rail and they'll struggle to get past him like last time out.
Rogue Endeavour 6/4 (2pt) – Ffos Las 7.10
After three good runs for his new yard, I was expecting a shorter price on Rogue Endeavour.
Before joining Grace Harris' yard, Rogue Endeavour was on a big downward spiral. She has managed to rekindle the fire in this horse, and with every run for the yard seeing him inside the top four, it looks like it's a matter of time before he cashes in on the low handicap mark.
The booking of Elizabeth Gale is a very positive booking. She is a jockey who is being used more by some of the more well-known yards, as she is worth her weight in gold with the 7lb claim she has. Given this horse ran to a +7 RPR to his handicap mark over 5.5f at Bath last time out, he must be tough to beat with 7lb being taken off an untouched handicap mark.
He is running off a mark of 44, which is miles lower than the mark of 56 he started life with Grace. The drop to 5f should also suit him as he has plenty of pace for this low-grade race. It wouldn't surprise me if he is backed into odds-on.
GambleAware