GG tipster Andrew Mount reveals his list of eyecatchers from the past week’s racing. Find out who he will be keeping on side below, along with bet365‘s new customer offer of Bet £10 Get £50 In Free Bets.
AL HITMI (third, 5f novice stakes, Carlisle, Monday, May 16)
Carlisle’s ground, originally described as good, good to firm in places, was being called soft midway through the card after persistent rain. The inside of the track was not the place to be, putting those drawn low at a disadvantage, especially in the early races before the jockeys shunned the inside route completely. The opening 5f novice saw the two widest-drawn runners finish one-two, with AL HITMI (stall 1) the eyecatcher in third. Karl Burke’s newcomer, a heavily-backed 5-2 shot, never left the ‘swamp’ and the market could overreact to this six-length defeat next time.
DARK SHOT (third, 6f handicap, Leicester, Monday, May 16)
Scott Dixon has his string in good form and DARK SHOT’s 50-1 third was especially eyecatching, as the habitual front-runner was taken on for lead by Under Curfew. That rival dropped away to finish well beaten whereas Dark Shot held on for a place in a race dominated by hold-up horses (the winner, runner-up, fourth and fifth all came from well off the pace). He has entries at Catterick on Friday and at York on Sunday this week.
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DEVIL’S ANGEL (eighth, 6f handicap, Carlisle, Monday, May 16)
DEVIL’S ANGEL (stall 3 of 13) had a poor low draw and raced closer to the inside rail than ideal. His patient running style was also at a disadvantage and will be more interesting on quicker ground next time. His latest win came off a mark of 77 and the handicapper will probably drop him a couple of pounds from his current 79 and this ten-length defeat.
FULL AUX ROIS (fourth, 2m novice selling hurdle, Sunday, May 15
Stratford is usually kind to forcing tactics but Tom Scudamore must have left the oven on because he went off at a million miles an hour on Neil Mulholland’s FULL AUX ROIS. He did well to hold on for fourth of the 14 runners – the three who beat him all came from mid-division – and he might find a small race on this evidence.
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MARTHA BRAE (fourth, 3m3f mares’ handicap hurdle, Stratford, Sunday, May 15)
The Dan Skelton-trained MARTHA BRAE was an eyecatcher at Ascot last November, where Bridget Andrews had the 85-40 favourite in the ‘swamp’ throughout on a day it was vital to challenge wide. Soft ground did for her at Kempton the following month and she was given the rest of the winter off. Good ground looked sure to suit at Stratford last Sunday, but this track is rarely kind to her patient running style and she could only manage a 13-length fourth of five runners. She’s worth another chance.
MELODY KING (sixth, 5f handicap, Carlisle, Monday, May 16)
MELODY KING travelled strongly in this 5f handicap but took the inside route where the rain-softened ground was slower and didn’t pick up, going down by ten lengths in sixth. John Quinn’s five-year-old went without his usual hood on his reappearance and will be very interesting when the headgear is re-applied. One word of caution however, his top 11 RPRs (Racing Post Ratings) have come from mid-July onwards and he goes especially well in August/September, suggesting that he might need another run or two before hitting peak form.
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PABLO DEL PUEBLO (third, 5f handicap, Windsor, Monday, May 16)
In a race featuring plenty of front-runners it was plain puzzling to see the poorly-drawn pacesetter PABLO DEL PUEBLO go off as the 100-30 favourite, especially as he was dropping back in trip from 6f. He ran a stormer to hold on for third in a race dominated by the closers (the winner, runner-up, fourth and fifth all came from midfield or further back) and he’ll have a massive chance if making a quick return to action at Lingfield on Thursday.
REDZONE (third, 6f handicap, Carlisle, Monday, May 16)
REDZONE had a handy draw (stall 8 of 13 once adjusted for non-runners) in this 6f handicap but lack of a strong pace to chase was his downfall. The winner, runner-up and fourth were on the front end throughout and his four-and-a-half-length third is worthy of an upgrade. His last four wins have come on Tapeta and he’ll be very backable when returned to that surface.
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SECOND COLLECTION (non-runner, 5f handicap, Windsor, Monday, May 16)
I’m a cynical old so-and-so and when a horse with a poor wide draw is withdrawn I tend not to buy the reasoning given – ‘unsuitable ground’ in the case of SECOND COLLECTION (stall 13) in this 5f handicap. Tony Carroll’s mare won twice off 73 on turf last year and is back down to a mark of 74 after beating only one home at Bath on April 24. She’s entered at Bath this Friday.
RUNNINWILD (fifth, 5f handicap, Carlisle, Monday, May 16)
RUNNINWILD was well supported in the morning market in the same race as Melody King (see above) but the ground went against him and his stall 3 draw was a big disadvantage. He made the running towards the inside but had no answer to the closers out wide and, in the circumstances, his seven-length fifth was a solid effort. Look out for him over 6f on good ground next time.
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