NEWMARKET 5.20 Handicap - Class 3 - 1 mile - 10 run - Good to Soft

 

There is a mix of unexposed 3 year olds in here and some more experienced 4 year and older horses. Unless the 3 year olds at the head of the market are above average though, there is one at a decent price in here that I feel is worth a speculative each way punt.

 

The Good to Soft ground will test a few of these and one of the few with any substantive softish ground form is HELM ROCK. 

 

HELM ROCK has been running a lot on the AW with some merit and looks to be in decent nick, some of the softer ground turf form stands up to analysis and although the handicap mark is well above "last win" level, I just feel it's the one that is clearly most suited to likely conditions and I'll be disappointed if he's not in the first 3 home here at least. (TA)

 

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LEOPARDSTOWN 8.00 Handicap - 1 mile 1 furlong - 22 run - Good 

 

A big field but it's hard to find anything at big or very big prices to really have a confident punt on. The Draw bias here is negligible so having a prominent runner handy is a decent advantage.

 

The obvious one is COMFORT LINE and after two very strongly run and placed Course and Distance runs in similar fields, it's daft not to have an investment at around 5/1. The Draw is Stall 13 gives lots of tactical options. My second rated is RANKO EXPRESS draw nearby in Stall 11 and this one looks to be running well and in to form and another very solid each way proposition.

 

If a high draw proves an advantage in any preceding races I would not put anyone off You Are The Deal @ 16/1  drawn is Stall 20 and if there were any (unexpected) showers about, the softer it is, the more the enigmatic, So Messi @20/1, would have a decent each way shout. Aside from those pair of dangerous lurkers, my third top rated is HOKUSAI who may be hostage to good fortune drawn in Stall 1, but if that isn't an impossible penalty, then this one looks to be a decent each way punt; off a declining and increasingly attractive mark. I'm adding now to the TRACKER as if the draw is the problem, it's definitely one to follow onwards. (MG)

 

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CAROLYN - 2 year Olds

 

5.50 - LILLY'S BET ran green over 7 furlongs on debut but made some good late progress. The Pedigree suggests Soft won't be a problem and I'll be expecting a better run and possibly a place for this one.

 

6.25 - STAPLEFORD PARK has run with merit in a couple of races whose form already looks to be a decent yardstick. It will be disappointing if this one can't win here, or place at the very least using experience to good effect, and it would also mark out the races it has previously run in as being good evidence of the horses that have beaten it. (Formlines from specific 2 year old races that throw out subsequent winners and good form can be a goldmine!)

 

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TRACKERS

 

Carlisle 2.10 Roll It In Glitter