Both of Tuesday's runners had to settle for second place.
The fact that both horses finished as runner-up definitely flatters their performances. Both horses weren't great, especially Condotti, but they ran very similar races.
Road To Wembley was thumped by the favourite, who was well-supported from when the markets opened. The favourite was well-handicapped on old pieces of form, so it's a shock to see him bounce back to form, especially when the money was down.
Condotti was backed into 2/1 favourite, but never looked like winning. Hollie Doyle was asking for an effort two furlongs after leaving the starting stalls, which is never a position you want to be in. It was a surprise to see the horse finish in second, as I thought he was going to be pulled up at most stages of the race. The winner cruised through the race and battered the field.
New York Minute 5/2 (1pt) – Pontefract 4.38
There are guaranteed stayers in this race, but other than Captain Potter and Queen Of Steel, who might still be progressing, the rest look exposed. In these types of races, I like to take a gamble on a horse going up in trip, which left me with a couple, but New York Minute was the one I decided to settle on.
Ralph Beckett has a 27% strike rate with his Pontefract runners, which is a fantastic record given the number of years Ralph has been training horses. His horses are always fancied when they make the trip up to Pontefract, so seeing him as the favourite is not a surprise. It wouldn't surprise me if he drifts out slightly, as I can see people backing Jedhi Knight from a low weight and Queen Of Steel, as that horse might get the run of the race.
New York Minute is very lightly raced, but does look in need of a longer trip. Whether today's 2m 1f is too far, time will tell, but his pedigree gives optimism that he'll be fine. His run at Goodwood showcased that he isn't a quick horse. He was the first off the bridle, but stuck to the task well, but didn't get going quickly enough to bridge the gap from those ahead.
He is out of a Galileo dam who has produced two good 2m horses, both trained in the US. Also, he is related to Fancy Man, who was a talented horse when trained by Richard Hannon, who also stayed 1m 6f, and recently finished seventh in the Melbourne Cup.
Novello Lad 8/1 (0.5pt EW, 4pl) – Pontefract 5.08
This horse has done me no favours in the last couple of months. Novello Lad was a selection of mine at Doncaster a couple of runs back, was punted into 11/8F, but got going too late and was denied on the line. I then decided to take him on at Nottingham when he ran over 6f, thinking the trip was too short for him, and he beat my selection with relative ease. He is a fair few pounds higher in the handicap for this race than he was for his latest win, but I think he is overpriced at 8/1.
Bar a couple of these runners, the majority of them aren't in tremendous form. It's strange to see David Nolan has opted for Novello Lad over recent winning stablemate Fierce. David definitely would have had the pick of the two, so seeing him side with Novello Lad leaves the impression that the yard believes he can still be competitive off today's mark.
Pontefract is a very tricky course, and in some ways I think it will suit Novello Lad, but in others I think it will play against him. His hold up style suggests he might find trouble in running, which is a big concern. But on the other hand, the stiffness of the track should play to his strengths for a fast finish, as he always gets rolling late in his races, so the hill should bring his stamina to the fore.
I am more than happy to have an EW play on him, as I do think he should be around 5/1, or maybe shorter.
GambleAware