Friday, September 21, 2012

Bits and pieces

Just a quick post this week as I don't intend to play tomorrow.

Call me old-fashioned, but three six furlong handicap sprints with 27 runners apiece, all likely to be run on soft / heavy ground - the Ayr Bronze Cup at 1.45, the Ayr Silver Cup at 2.20 and the Ayr Gold Cup at 3.30 - has the whiff of a bookmakers' benefit to me.

Barring accidents, Dvinsky will go into the record books when running in the 32Red.com Handicap (Div 2) at Wolverhampton this evening; the eleven-year-old gelding starts his 218th race, a modern day record. To date he has 19 wins, 34 seconds and 33 third places to his name. It's not the winning, it's the taking part that counts...

Sunday's weather looks rather unpredicatable; I'll look at the Plumpton card more closely if the rain stays away.

John Ferguson turned a few heads in his first season as a trainer - he saddles two at the track, Once More Dubai (3.00) and Haymarket (2.30). The former boasts smart Flat form and the Weekender reports the gelding has been 'intensively schooled' while it would be no surprise to see improvement in the latter, rated a more modest 69 on the level.

I considered recent winner Baily Storm in the 3.30 but his jumping record has put me off.

Four-year-olds have won six of the last ten renewals of the 4.00 race. Ugo is a hold-up horse with his fair share of weight and on balance would probably prefer a bit further but he ran well over course and distance in the spring; perhaps he was a little too fresh after a summer break last time out so he is potentially of interest at an each-way price.

1 comment:

GeeDee said...

Those brave enough to follow the Plumpton suggestions will be on good terms with themselves...

Once More Dubai (2/1) won well while Haymarket (7/2) ran a sound race and was in with evey chance before a poor jump two out sealed his fate; he finished third. That wasn't his only mistake - the Singspiel gelding looks to have a similar race in him provided he brushes up the hurdling.

I was mighty pleased to see Ugo take the spoils in the 4.00 race and at nice price too - 16/1! He held King Ozzy (10/1) a neck on the line, the pair four and a half lengths clear of First Beauty (7/1) in third.

On previous form, next winner due sometime early December... ;)