With Newmarket now out of the way until the Guineas meeting we have seen things change in the big race markets over the past week and simply await in anticipation the first classics of the season.
Before all that though we have a valuable Good Friday card with both Newcastle and Lingfield putting up huge prize money, the latter of course hosting its All-Weather Championships Finals Day with £1million up for grabs but there are precious few betting opportunities at the Surrey track as short-priced favourites appear to dominate some races.
We have two Saturday bets too as Kempton Park attracts some decent three-year-olds for its conditions races, but we begin with Friday’s meeting at Newcastle and another potential improver for master trainer John Gosden:
Friday 19th April 2019
3.20 Newcastle (Burradon Stakes – Listed Race) – DAARIK
This £100,000 event is growing in popularity already and if it weren’t for Easter being so late this year, we may well have been witnessing a 2000 Guineas and/or a Kentucky Derby candidate in the field.
It seems there’s nothing quite up to that standard in this year’s event, but there is a lot to like about John Gosden’s course winner Daarik who in time could prove to be a Group horse and should be able to take this Listed event en route to better things.
Having come back lame from his racecourse debut run at Nottingham last year, his Newmarket handler was patient with him and is seeing the benefit of that now as his son of Tamayuz has gone on to win at this track over 6f as well as at Kempton over seven and this one mile test will suit him even more.
While the likes of Marie’s Diamond and Magic J are strong and there could be much more to come from Bayroot, not many in this line-up would appear to want a very stiff mile at this stage of their careers and that’s not an area Daarik should struggle with and so these conditions look ideal for Jim Crowley’s mount.
3.55 Newcastle (Class 2 Handicap) – BIG KITTEN
This is a strong handicap and with £54,000 to the winner you can bet that these horses have been prepared with today in mind and not simply the future, so we should see a very fair race and a quick enough gallop.
Money will be around in the ring in abundance for Roger Charlton’s Forbidden Planet and he certainly makes the shortlist alongside Bartholomeu Dias, but all things considered they may be vulnerable to one improving quickly and that brings in course winner Big Kitten.
William Haggas sent the son of Kitten’s Joy to Newcastle to win a mile-and-a-quarter handicap very easily back in November and he has been gelded since then which could bring about more improvement. He could be a good few pounds ahead of the handicapper right now and will appreciate this extra distance so rates a fair bet under Daarik’s jock Jim Crowley who could have a very good half an hour.
4.05 Bath (Lansdown Stakes – Listed Race) – HEARTWARMING
After beginning her career in flying fashion as a juvenile, just as Heartache did the year before for the same connections, Heartwarming’s form appeared to tail off last season but a closer look at things reveals something a little different and more encouraging.
Having won at the second attempt before running a very good second in a Listed race at Newbury, Clive Cox’s three-year-old filly looked at first glance to be out of her depth when finishing 11th of 14 in the Cornwallis Stakes in October but that run was far from smooth for her.
Having been consistently denied a clear run, Frankie Dettori simply let her idle home but it’s worth noting that she was deservedly the 13/2 fourth choice in the market for that race behind among others Sergei Prokofiev, a leading sprinting light for Aidan O’Brien this year, and she is certainly capable of taking a race like this. Queen Of Desire and One Last Night are next on the list.
Saturday 20th April 2019
2.35 Kempton (3yo Fillies’ Conditions Stakes) – RAINBOW HEART
Oisin Murphy and William Haggas could be on for a very productive day at Kempton Park on Saturday with their three-year-olds, beginning with this daughter of Born To Sea who should really appreciate this step up from the seven furlong trip she encountered when scoring easily at Newmarket in October.
Form-wise, she not only has that run in the bag but it’s also worth mentioning she was a good third behind Qabala on debut and that filly is now clear favourite for the 1000 Guineas having run a stormer in the Nell Gwyn Stakes at the Craven meeting earlier this week.
Rainbow Heart doesn’t have any fancy entries at this stage but she could prove herself to be a very decent filly in this, perhaps at the expense of Canton Queen and Gospel who head a number of those in opposition with very similar ability and potential.
3.10 Kempton (3yo Conditions Stakes) – SENZA LIMITI
The same trainer/jockey combination, albeit for a different owner, can be successful in the colts and geldings version of this race with Senza Limiti, a son of tremendous up-and-coming sire Lope De Vega.
Making his racecourse debut at Salisbury in October, this colt travelled well before grabbing the lead and kicking clear of some decent rivals including one who was subsequently second to Azano and is now rated 88. That win was visually impressive but also showed him to be a horse with bags of improvement to come and we expect him to show that today.
Not too many others, on what information we have regarding these inexperienced types, really looks capable of landing a major blow against him other than Chairmanoftheboard for Mick Channon although even that horse will need to recover from a poor run on the soft at Newbury if he is to figure.
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