GG tipster Andrew Mount reveals his list of eyecatchers from the past week’s racing. Fins out who he wants to keep onside below, alongside Bet365‘s new customer offer of £50 in Free Bets when you deposit £10.
ALSAMYAH (ninth, 7f handicap, Wolverhampton, Tuesday, July 5)
It helped to race prominently from a low draw in this 7f handicap, with the first four finishers emerging from stalls 2, 3, 1 and 4 of 12 and described by the Racing Post as ‘led, headed but close up after 1f’, ‘prominent’, ‘midfield on inner’ and ‘prominent, led after 1f’. ALSAMYAH never had a prayer under patient tactics from stall 12, out-running her draw to finish eighth. The hood was left off with the first time in her six-race career and she actually settled better without it.
GULLANE ONE (third, 5f handicap, Ayr, Sunday, July 3)
GULLANE ONE didn’t make the cut for last week’s column when third of six at Ayr on Sunday July 3but, since then, the two horses who finished in front of him – Sound Of Iona and Refuge – have won (9-2 and 15-8f). Tim Easterby’s seven-year-old goes best in high summer (June to August), recording form figures of 12118780314150451729343 (6-23) for a profit of £51.75 to a £1 stake. In 6f races only, his summer figures improve to 1187014150454 (5-14) for a profit of £57.00. A step back up in trip will obviously suit.
Tomorrow’s Racing
LAASUDOOD (seventh, 1m handicap, Newmarket, July 9)
LAASUDOOD beat only one home when 4-1 for the 1m Class 2 handicap won by Jimi Hendrix, with the trainer’s rep blaming the fast ground (officially good to firm, good in places) for the defeat. The stewards seemed to accept this, despite him having won on officially good to firm ground at Doncaster on his previous outing. The more likely reason for his disappointing effort was track position – Christophe Soumillon switched him to challenge on the far side of the track where the ground had been slower all week. Forgive this run.
LAWFUL COMMAND (fourth, 1m handicap, Newmarket, July 9)
I had a small saver on LAWFUL COMMAND in the Jimi Hendrix race, despite a concern that the ground would be too quick for him. It probably was, but he still ran a solid race to finish fourth and it won’t be long before he confirms the promise of his Britannia Stakes fifth at Royal Ascot where he was second best of the prominent racers. He’s high on my shortlist for the Cambridgeshire.
MENG TIAN (second, 7.5f apprentice handicap, Chester, Saturday, July 9)
MENG TIAN was well drawn in stall 2 in the 7.5f apprentice handicap and had a good early position, tracking leader Liamarty Dreams on the rail. He plugged on well but had no answer to the all-the-way winner, finishing two lengths back in second place. Since gelded, his sole success came off a very strong pace over 7f at Wolverhampton and a bigger field/stronger gallop could see him in a better light. The cut back to 6f might not be a bad idea either.
ROBASTA (fifth, 6f handicap, Wolverhampton, Tuesday, July 5)
ROBASTA, an eyecatcher at Haydock in late May when making ground out wide against the strong bias, disappointed at Thirsk next time but showed more encouragement here. Hooded for the first-time and poorly drawn in stall 7 of 9, he missed a beat at the start and was still last the furlong marker. He made progress down the centre of the track when all the action was closer to the rail and there are more races in him.
SIR PHILIP (ninth, 5f handicap, Wolverhampton, Tuesday, July 5)
There was a huge inside rail bias at Wolverhampton last Tuesday and five of the first six finishers in the opening 5f handicap came from the five lowest draws. The Henry Candy-trained 11-1 shot SIR PHILIP, who was making his handicap debut, beat only a couple home but was drawn terribly in stall 10 of 11 and it wasn’t a bad effort to finish four and a half lengths behind the winner. The market could overreact to this effort next time.
SNAPCRACKLEPOP (second, 1m handicap, Doncaster, Thursday, July 7)
SNAPCRACKLEPOP returned form wind surgery with a game 12-1 success from the front at Nottingham last month and caught the eye in this follow-up attempt. The round course at Doncaster usually eats prominent racers alive and this meeting was no exception, so the switch to slightly more patient tactics was a wise one. He sat in mid-division in the early stages, racing keenly under restraint, and was driven along to take up the running two and a half furlongs out (at least two furlongs too early given the way the track was riding). He had no answer to the patiently-ridden 2-1 favourite Persian Royal but was almost four lengths clear of the third and he looks capable of winning again.
Tomorrow’s Racing
THE DABBLER (third, 3m2f handicap hurdle, Sligo, Sunday, July 10)
THE DABBLER qualified as a bet for me at Sligo last Sunday based on his speed figures, but I’d written off my stake approaching three out as he looked to be going nowhere. However, 7lb conditional Adam Ellis kept plugging away and his perseverance was rewarded with an 18-1 third, a result that never looked likely. The nine-year-old, a faller in the Mayo National at Ballinrobe on his previous start, was having his first run over hurdles since December 2019 and there are more races in him on this evidence.
TITAN ROCK (ninth, 7f heritage handicap, Newmarket, Saturday, July 9)
TITAN ROCK ran respectably in mid-division in the Bunbury Cup and the way he kept on suggested the return to 1m could suit. His latest outing beyond 7f saw him finish second by a head at Chester (7.5f) last August and he scored over the straight mile at Redcar a couple of months earlier. He’s in the Golden Mile Handicap at Glorious Goodwood and the tempo of that race could suit.
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