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Friday 19 May

Fri 19 May 2017

Amazing Red

We have had even more rain here at HQ and the ground at Newmarket is likely to be pretty testing. There is fantastic racing at Newmarket, Newbury and York and it is a shame the rain has come in such vast amounts. We were praying for rain but we will be happy now if it relents for at least a short while and when it returns it would be fantastic if we don’t have as much of it in one spell! The good news is that we have managed to get the horses back on the grass which they all enjoyed.

 

Opposition was our only runner yesterday and he ran respectable in mid division. He was fresh which was understandable given he had been off a long time and he got tired as a consequence in the testing ground.

 

We have five runners today. Tadleel runs in the 6f Maiden at Newbury which is at 2:00. Westerland is bred in the purple and he has a big reputation and as a consequence he is a short priced favourite. I am realistic that we are unlikely to beat him but I do like our son of Dark Angel and given his pedigree I hope he will handle the soft ground. There are well regarded horses from the Burrows, Cox and Hannon stable amongst others and this will be an informative Maiden. If we finish in the first half of the field I will be satisfied and our horses always improve for the run but I hope he can show us promise for the future as he is a scopey colt that goes nicely at home.

 

Sir Gnet runs in the 1m2f Maiden at 4:15. He showed some promise over an extended mile on debut and did his best work late, his breeding suggests he will improve for this new trip. He is drawn very wide and I don’t expect him to be good enough to figure in a very warm Maiden but I do hope he can show us some promise once more and he should handle the ground.

 

Blushing Red runs in a very hot race at 4:45. He was declared to run at Windsor but with that race abandoned we were forced to run here given the lack of options going forward. He is an inexperienced horse who I hope will improve with time and he should love this soft ground but he has a wide draw and some of the horses here could have very lenient handicap marks. Wasatch Range beat a subsequent winner that won impressively and a mark of 85 might be more than fair. Manchego was considered a possible Derby horse and if he is to meet expectations he should run very well today. Outcrop caught the eye last time when winning easily given he was so unruly before the start of the race. He won in the manner of an upwardly mobile horse and from stall one he may get an easy lead given there is a lack of pace in the race on paper. I hope our horse can settle better than he did at Newcastle and if he finishes his race off and runs respectably I will be happy given that this race could well have Black Type performers in it.

 

Wealth Tax runs in the 5:20 at Newbury and I have been dying to get him on soft ground. He was too keen on his seasonal debut as they went slow early and then sprinted and Silvestre looked after him when he was beaten. We have chosen Josh Quinn as he has ridden ten winners which allows him to claim three pounds and take a little weight off which could prove valuable given he has 9:9. It is a competitive 0-70 but it is not red hot and I would expect 1m2f on soft ground to be Wealth Tax’s optimum conditions given his homework. I think he is a good each way bet at double figures.

 

Amazing Red is our final runner up at Hamilton in the 7:30. We were a little disappointed with him on his first start back but he was rusty. Gibbs Hill beat us but he could be smart and we will know more as to his ability after the Jorvik Stakes at York this afternoon. Amazing Red has come on for the run and the stiff finish up there should suit him but I wish a little more rain had come. The feedback is saying that is on the fast side but the ground is safe, this will not inconvenience him but we thought that softer ground may not have suited some of the opposition. The main dangers look to be Sam Missile who was a very solid second on seasonal debut and Kensington Star who is well in at the weights after a close second at Hamilton recently. Chester Cup second Yorkidding drops back in trip and he cannot be disregarded, it is a competitive race but I hope he runs well.



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