Best bets for the horse racing Friday 30th January and Saturday 1st February

Godolphin have been very quiet this week, in the UK at least, with just the one entry and that horse runs on Friday at Newcastle in the mile Ladbrokes Where The Nation Plays Novice Stakes at 5.15.I tipped up Al Maysan on debut and the Dubawi colt duly obliged. As I mentioned at the time he is out of winning mare Perfect Light and is a brother to useful winner Nashirah. I fully expect him to make it two from two and advise you get on at the best price you can.  

I have one of those weekends upcoming where I am here, there and everywhere! With that in mind I am looking ahead into the weekend in this post. No prices are available as I write so grab the best you can; none of these will be huge so perhaps a cheeky Yankee for the weekend?  

They race at Lingfield Park Saturday on the Polytrack and I am very interested in one race with the future in mind and having a punt in a couple of others. At 1.45 they line-up for the 6f Betway Cleves Stakes. Any regular reader will know I am on Kachy at 4-1 for the A/W Sprint Final at Easter and all being well this will be a simple victory on his A/W seasonal bow; he will be odds-on in this. Tom Dascombe’s speedster will break from stall seven in the six-furlong dash but that isn’t a concern as he has defied stalls 11 and eight when winning in the last two years. Habub might give him something to think about for a while but not for long! Owner Dave Lowe said “Finals Day has always been touted as his swansong before his retirement. He has been the horse of a lifetime for me. I speak to Michael Owen when I go up to Tom’s and he says he felt the same thing with Brown Panther. I will probably never have another one like Kachy and it has been a privilege to have him. Hopefully, he can go out on a high by winning the Cleves for a third time and then going on to Finals Day.”

Over 1m2f the Listed Betway Winter Derby Trial Stakes at 2.55 is the main event. Global Giant was the jolly in the build-up he won’t be running. I think the Bookies had it priced up wrong anyway and was planning on taking him on. Connections have Bangkok entered in the Winter Derby so an All-Weather campaign was clearly planned. Second in the Qatar Derby last time out at Doha, if he takes to the surface, he has never run on the All-Weather, he is the best horse lining-up and is proven at the trip. I honestly thought the satchel swingers would have priced this up the other way so happily took the 9-4 about the Andrew Balding trained gelding earlier this week – he is short now!  

I have talked about Finespun several times, and had my fingers burned! I am giving the Godolphin owned Gosden trained filly a chance, again, in the 1m4f Betway Novice Stakes at 3.55. Reportedly she has been going very well on the Gallops at HQ and with the various weight allowances she has a great chance to break her duck carrying just 8-11. Again, grab a price when you can.  

Be lucky