Another short article with just the four horses for your trackers this week. Last weekends’ horse racing wasn’t the highest in terms of quality but there were a couple of performances that stood out and I will look at those later.
Just one day before the start of York’s four day Ebor Festival. It’s my favourite of the summer festivals and with the going set to be on the quick side for Day 1 on Wednesday, we can look forward to some cracking racing on the Knavesmire.
Last week I shared with you a profitable micro system regarding Al Shaqab owned runners in UK Group 1, 2 & 3 races. Well I thought, I would share another couple with you and they centre on trainers who have really good records, in two year old races, at the Ebor Festival and should provide a winner or two again this year. Like last weeks they’re systems that are very easy to operate.
Ebor Festival Juvenile Trainers Micro Angles
There have been 442 runners in juvenile races at the Ebor Festival since 2011 with 37 winners and just two trainers have provided 35% of the winners.
Firstly, let’s look at William Haggas and his record in juvenile races
Trainer: William Haggas
Festival: York Ebor Festival
Age: 2 year olds
Since 2011 the trainer is 8 wins from 18 runners 44% +31.25 A/E 2.55 12 places 67%.
Kevin Ryan’s record since 2011 is – 5 wins from 35 runners 14% +2.5 A/E 1.49 7 places 20%. His record can be improved with a little digging. All his 5 winners have been well fancied in the market and have not been making their debut at the meeting.
Trainer: Kevin Ryan
Festival: York Ebor Festival
Odds: 12/1 & under
Career runs: 1 or more (so not making their debut)
5 wins from 13 runners 38% +24.5 A/E 2.46 6 places 46%
It takes a brave punter to ignore those two trainers’ two year olds!
Weekend Review
Friday
Performance of the Day – Mrs Danvers – Probably not the strongest of renewals of the Listed St Hugh’s Stake for juvenile fillies but Mrs Danvers followed up her recent win in the Super Sprint over C&D with another taking performance here. As I said when she had won that race that her trainer felt the filly was capable of gaining some black type and she gained it on Friday. She looks now set to step up to Group company with a run in the Flying Childers at Doncaster’s St Leger meeting. That will take more winning than this race but who’s to say her progression has ended.
Saturday
Performance of the Day – Mondialiste – Over to the USA and the Arlington Million for my performance of the weekend. The David 0’Meara trained five year old showed he stayed 1m 2f when 2nd to Time Test at York on his last start and he won the Arlington Million in good style over that distance. He really takes to travelling, having won the Woodbine Mile in Canada and finishing 2nd to the smart Tepin in the Breeders Cup Mile last Autumn. He stayed on too strongly for his rivals here and handled the firm ground very well. Given his liking for racing in America, he will presumably head for the Breeders Cup Turf over 1m 4f and given the way he finished his race gives connections hope that he would have every chance of getting the extra distance on a tight track like Santa Anita’s.
This Weeks Eyecatchers
As I mentioned at the start of this column there are just the four eyecatchers this week but I will be adding two more for Eyecatcher Pro Subscribers.
On the subject of the Eyecatcher Pro Service from Wednesday I will be in a position to add fully comprehensive notes and staking advice for all qualifying eyecatchers that are running and just in time for York I will also be adding a thread to the member forum where I will post any qualifiers from the micro systems that I have recently mentioned.
Thursday August 11th
Salisbury
Bess of Hardwick – Luca Cumani – The four year old filly had made her seasonal reappearance at Ascot just last month and this was a much better show from the daughter of Dansili compared to that run. Slowly away she didn’t have the pace to match the three that finished in front of her but she was beaten less than 3 lengths at the line. A winner of a Wolverhampton maiden back in October she had looked a filly worth following after that win but he long absence suggests she has had a setback in the spring. Stil, l she has only had four career starts so it’s too early to give up on her. The ground will have been plenty quick enough for her and she can hopefully improve when there is a bit ease in the going.
Friday August 12th
Nottingham
Jack Bear – Henry Whittington – The five year old has moved to Henry Whittington’s yard to go hurdling over the winter and he looks a decent prospect for that sphere. But his new trainer managed to get him to win at Nottingham on soft ground and he followed that up with a head 2nd at Haydock on his next start once again on soft going. He found things happening to quick for him in this 1m 6f handicap on ground that would have been too fast for him. A return to soft ground could see the gelding progress over this sort of trip even off his career high mark of 79. Whatever his fate on the level he is one to look out for over hurdles later in the year.
Saturday 13th August
Newbury
Considered Opinion – Ralph Beckett – The fillies maiden race that opened Newbury’s Saturday card looked like it could be a decent one with plenty of nicely bred fillies making their racecourse debut. The Ralph Beckett filly was one of those two year old making her debut her and although she was green at the start and slowly away she soon got the hang of racing and made good headway two furlongs from home. Was staying on all the way inside the final furlong but couldn’t get past the eventual winner, who had the benefit of a previous run, and had to settle for 2nd. Not fancied in the betting before the race, given she was sent off 33/1, this was a really good run and she clearly is a talented filly who can win a maiden on the evidence of this run.
Newmarket
Aclaim – Martyn Meade – Considering the ground would have been plenty fast enough for the three year but he ran a really encouraging race to finish 5th in this valuable handicap over 6f for three year olds. He had run better than his finishing position suggests, when 7th behind The Tin Man in a Group 3 at Newbury on his previous start, having not getting a clear run when making his effort at the furlong mark or he would have been in contention for the places. The colt has only had six career starts so still has potential to progress further. A winner on his only start as a two year old at Kempton. It’s not easy to forget his eycatching seasonal reappearance when showing a great turn of foot to win a 6f handicap at Newmarket’s Craven Meeting, on soft ground. He now races off 10lb higher than for that win but he is one to not for a decent race when he gets more ease in the ground.
That’s it for now, and now all that’s left is to wish you a profitable weeks betting at the Ebor Festival and onto next week when I will be taking a look back at events at York.
