Teenage Gal
Good morning from Newmarket. We hit the crossbar yesterday with Toro Dorado, who probably lost his race with a tardy start, but he still travelled well and ran on in encouraging fashion to take second place. We are even busier today with five runners spread between Nottingham and Chelmsford. One way or another we seem to have had the whole All-Weather team out in recent days!
We get started today with Homesick Boy in the 1.05 at Nottingham. A promising debut at Windsor was swiftly followed by a poor run at Chelmsford, though he would not be the first two-year-old I have sent there that has got outpaced and finished all at sea. I was very keen to run him back on turf one more time, and this was his last opportunity to do so. There were 70 plus entries and we only just snuck in after the race divided. We are very unlikely to be good enough to challenge the hot favourite Private Secretary, but hopefully we will see a run more akin to his debut effort and some encouragement for next year. Luke Morris does the steering.
Our other Nottingham runner is Grandscape, who seeks to give amateur jockey Sophie Smith her third win of the season from just seven rides, in the mile and a quarter lady amateur riders' handicap at 3.50. The pair have teamed up three times before, running creditably at Catterick, getting touched off at Wolverhampton, and then running out ready winners at Redcar last time. That was on soft, and the ground probably won’t be quite as testing today, though I don’t envisage that causing any problems. The horse remains in good form and I will be disappointed if he is not involved in the finish, but the big question is whether or not he can cope with a seven pound rise in the weights? We will find out shortly.
We then turn our attentions to Chelmsford, where we have three runners tonight. In the 6.50, a mile 0-70 handicap, Teenage Gal has her first outing since September. This is a competitive eight runner affair, and we are quite a way down the betting forecast. However, this is a much more realistic level than on her previous run at Newmarket, and we have been looking forward to stepping the filly up to a mile for some time. Blessed with a willing attitude, I hope she will run with credit under David Probert.
In the 7.20 Baasha tries to get off the mark at the eighth attempt. A three-year-old son of Havana Gold, the horse has a bit of talent, but needed time off for wind surgery earlier in the year. He has travelled very powerfully on his two most recent appearances, but it was disconcerting to see him finish so tamely at Kempton a fortnight ago, and I just hope he is not remembering his breathing troubles. A drop in trip will hopefully do the trick, and I expect him to travel well into the race once again. What he finds at the finish is the big question, but he is at the right level, so hopefully he will not be far away.
Our final runner today is Global Art in the mile and a quarter handicap at 7.50. He was not quite finishing his races over a mile and a quarter earlier in the year, prior to winning and running well over a mile at this track in August/September. He had been gelded prior to those efforts, so hopefully he is an improved horse and now ready to tackle a mile and a quarter again. He is not obviously well-handicapped, but I think we have found a race into which he fits nicely. He may just be a pound or two higher than he can win from, but it is not out of the question that he can find the necessary improvement required to defy the rating. Rab Havlin rides both Baasha and Global Art.
A busy day in store then, with quite a few little each way chances. I hope that we will find a winner amongst them, but most importantly let’s hope all the horses run with credit and return home safe and sound.
All the best,
Ed.