Best bets for the horse racing this weekend
It's a funny old weekend coming up with the Sunday action arguably more important than the Saturday racing, certainly here in the UK at least. I know who I am backing and have taken prices nice and early.
Dirty Dozen member Alcohol Free goes in the Group Three 7f Dubai Duty Free Stakes (The Fred Darling to you and me) at 2.10 and it will be fascinating to see how she goes. I said in the Dirty Dozen article she is by No Nay Never, that very speedy colt, out of Plying and it should be that sprinting will be her game, the dam being a winner up to 7f, though the trainer thinks she is a genuine 1,000 Guineas contender. She spent the winter at owner Jeff Smith's Littleton Stud and by all reports is moving well on the gallops at home. This I suppose is the acid test, has been her early season target, and if she wins nicely a trip to HQ looks likely. I am not convinced yet she will get the mile but the 7f here over a relatively flat strip on good ground should be in her range and I am on at 11-4 early, though I expect I might be doing the Betting shop lean late on.
The colts face the same 7f strip at 2.45 for the Group Three Watership Down Stud Too Darn Hot Greenham Stakes. Chindit didn't do much wrong in his two-year-old campaign until coming unstuck in the 7f G.1 Dewhurst Stakes on soft ground at HQ in October behind St Marks Basilica etc; Alkumait last. He ended finding a fair bit of trouble that day in a pocket and didn’t have anywhere to go and was not exactly knocked about late on when his chance had gone. His win in the G.2 Champagne Stakes at Doncaster is arguably the best from on show. 2-1 which I took on Thursday is short enough but he can win this before taking his chance in bigger targets as the season progresses.
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Best bets for the horse racing in Ireland on Saturday
There are a couple of Group races out in Ireland at the Curragh on Saturday on the Turf and potentially some decent types will be on show. The 7f Group Three TRI Equestrian Gladness Stakes and 1m2f Group Three Holden Plant Rentals Alleged Stakes entries included the likes Lancaster House and Speak In Colours in the 7f heat with Broome in the mile-and-a-quarter race at 3.10. The Aidan O'Brien trained five-year-old looked the bet of the day to my eyes but Hills were the first up and have him at 4-7; I can't back him at that price, I was hoping for 11-8!! He has been in with some of the best in his career and blew away the winter cobwebs with a nice win in Listed class at Naas last month. O'Brien said afterwards "You'd have to be very happy with him. Last year we couldn't get him right at all, but everything has gone really well with him through the winter and into the spring this year. He's very versatile from a mile and a quarter to a mile and a half and he might come back for the Alleged Stakes. He's a beautiful mover and you could see he was getting stuck in the ground a little bit, but it didn't stop him. He's in very good form and wasn't beaten far in the Derby and is a very solid horse. Hopefully we can look at races like the Tattersalls Gold Cup, Coronation Cup and Royal Ascot with him."Best bets for the horse racing at Newbury on Sunday
The Newbury card on Sunday is a proper affair with three Group Three races including their two Classic Trials. Those are the two races of interest to me and where I have had a couple of nice early bets.Dirty Dozen member Alcohol Free goes in the Group Three 7f Dubai Duty Free Stakes (The Fred Darling to you and me) at 2.10 and it will be fascinating to see how she goes. I said in the Dirty Dozen article she is by No Nay Never, that very speedy colt, out of Plying and it should be that sprinting will be her game, the dam being a winner up to 7f, though the trainer thinks she is a genuine 1,000 Guineas contender. She spent the winter at owner Jeff Smith's Littleton Stud and by all reports is moving well on the gallops at home. This I suppose is the acid test, has been her early season target, and if she wins nicely a trip to HQ looks likely. I am not convinced yet she will get the mile but the 7f here over a relatively flat strip on good ground should be in her range and I am on at 11-4 early, though I expect I might be doing the Betting shop lean late on.
The colts face the same 7f strip at 2.45 for the Group Three Watership Down Stud Too Darn Hot Greenham Stakes. Chindit didn't do much wrong in his two-year-old campaign until coming unstuck in the 7f G.1 Dewhurst Stakes on soft ground at HQ in October behind St Marks Basilica etc; Alkumait last. He ended finding a fair bit of trouble that day in a pocket and didn’t have anywhere to go and was not exactly knocked about late on when his chance had gone. His win in the G.2 Champagne Stakes at Doncaster is arguably the best from on show. 2-1 which I took on Thursday is short enough but he can win this before taking his chance in bigger targets as the season progresses.
Be lucky