Former Talksport man Charlie McCann marks your card with seven to follow on Saturday at Newbury, Newmarket and Market Rasen. View selections below
Expect to see a number of non-runners today after Friday’s rain. The ground was on the fast side of good at Newbury when the 48-hour declarations were made on Thursday but, at the time of writing clerk of the course Richard Osgood announced the ground was soft ahead of Friday’s card after 13.5 mls of rain earlier in the day.
Following the defection of Limato Here Comes When (3.45) was cut to 4/1 with BetVictor but I still believe that represents a fair price given he will love the ground, represents a yard (Andrew Balding) who continue to be in excellent form and, whilst 7f is on the sharp side these days, Jim Crowley is likely to make sure this is a proper test.
The other Group race on the card is the Geoffrey Freer Stakes over 1m 5f and Romsdal ran a cracker in the King George last time on going described as soft although the time of the race suggested it was good to soft at worst.
Placed in two classics last year the 4-y-old has only actually won on Kempton’s all-weather surface and at the price (5/2) is overlooked in favour of Pallasator (2.35) trained by Sir Mark Prescott. The 6-year-old will appreciate the long straight at the Berkshire track having got going too late in a hot renewal of the Goodwood Cup over 2m last time. He is proven on soft ground and I hope to see jockey Oisin Murphy make plenty of use of his charge given he clearly gets further than today’s 1m 5f trip. At 7/1 with BetVictor he can reward ew support.
The listed Washington Singer Stakes was won by subsequent Dewhurst winner Belardo last year and Twin Sails (2.00) was beaten less than a length when fourth in the Gp 2 Vintage Stakes last time and he is taken to reverse the form with third home Palawan this afternoon.
The selection is out of a Pivotal mare so should handle the ground and should find this track more suitable than the Goodwood undulations that didn’t see him in his best light last time.
In the finale the classic generation have won this 12f prize for lady amateur riders three times in the last four years. Pin Up (4.50) is the only 3-y-o in the field and she was well on top at the end of her maiden win at Ripon last time for which she has been raised 3lbs.
Newmarket had not had the rain Newbury had encountered at the time of writing but thundery showers were forecast for late Friday and it might be prudent to assume the ground will have a bit of juice in it.
Ghalib (2.50) put behind a poor run at Haydock when finishing runner up at Wolverhampton last month and can go one better from a 3lbs higher mark. Luke Morris takes the mount for the first time and this colt has winning form on soft ground if conditions deteriorate.
On good ground Gold Trail will be hard to beat in the 12f handicap but Melrose Abbey (5.10) made a belated reappearance over 9f at Goodwood and it might be significant that, although she disappointed, she came in for significant market support. This daughter of Selkirk is 6lbs higher than when scoring over C&D last summer but she is entitled to come on for her reappearance.
If the rain stays away I like the look of Anton Dolin (8.15) in the 2m 2f at Market Rasen; the selection finished a good third at Bangor last time for today’s regular partner and he has run well over today’s C&D in the past.
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Be lucky
Charlie
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