The Racing League reaches its third week on Thursday. There are seven races on Newcastle’s card on the day and we have selections in each alongside 888, who are offering £30 in Free Bets + A £10 Casino Bonus when you bet £10.
SOLAR JOE – (5.45 Newcastle)
Sometimes offspring are blessed with both a dam and sire’s best attributes, but SOLAR JOE has very much taken from his mother rather than his father.
His dad, Twilight Son, is much better known not only as a Group 1 winning sprinter in his racing days, but also as a sire of very speedy types. However, Solar Joe’s dam, Kip, won over 1m4f and is a daughter to Rip Van Winkle, a middle distance performer in his heyday.
It took this four-year-old six start to get off the mark, eventually winning readily at Pontefract last month off a rating of 70. That suggests he is very capable even with a mark 9lb higher than that day. His last two runs have seen him finish runner-up twice, though he stayed on remarkably last time when upped to 1m2f at Haydock when it initially looked as if he would finish nearer last than first.
The increase in trip beyond the 1m4f barrier here may well actually suit him based on that evidence and off an unchanged mark to that day, he should be involved if that visual clue bears fruit.
POSTMARK – (6.15 Newcastle)
Two winners for the Wales and the West team at the last Racing League meeting face of at the head of the market for the second race on Newcastle’s card.
While Tregony has only been hit by a 2lb rise in the weights, he is now on a career high mark for Clive Cox. His performances prior to that last-time-out success suggest he may now be up against it.
On the other hand, POSTMARK was making his debut for Milton Harris when running away with the three-year-old handicap over this trip of 1m2f. He now takes on his elders having been raised 7lb, but that is negated equally by the 7lb he receives in weight-for-age. The quantity of weight he receives may well be generous at this stage of the season.
The distance and all-weather surface suit and he also won on his final start for Ralph Beckeet before joining Harris. The hat-trick looks on for this improving son of Postponed.
Newcastle Racecourse,
High Gosforth Park,
Newcastle-upon-Tyne NE3 5HP.
United Kingdom.
Newcastle Racecourse
Known locally as Gosforth Park, Newcastle provides a high standard of action under both codes. The Flat course with its uphill rise of four furlongs makes this one of the stiffest tracks in the country and the highlight of the season is undoubtedly the Northumberland Plate in June – a fiercely battled staying handicap. Over the jumps, the Fighting Fifth Hurdle which takes place at the end of November regularly attracts a number of the leading hurdlers in the country.
DINGLE – (6.45 Newcastle)
Currently 11/2 the field, this 1m handicap looks the most open of the day. The unexposed Baltimore Boy is feared, but preference is for DINGLE to go well at a price.
His record on turf reads ten races without a win. Two third-placed efforts are all he has to show for his attempts on grass, but his all-weather record makes for much better reading: he has only been out of the first three once on artificial surfaces, winning twice.
His failure to make the tricast occurred on his last effort on the all-weather at Chelmsford in June. Since then, he has been down the field three times on turf, but earlier this year, he showed much more promise, mainly for having run either polytrack or tapeta. That included a win on his first 2022 start at Lingfield off 5lb higher than his current mark.
He also placed off 88 (9lb higher) at the same venue over this trip of 1m, and even his Chelmsford run looks good in the context of this race’s parameters. As long as those down-the-field efforts on turf have not dented his confidence too much, he is very likely to be involved.
HONKY TONK MAN – (7.15 Newcastle)
Possibly the biggest eyecatcher of the last Racing League meeting was HONKY TONK MAN. The chances are he gains compensation on Thursday.
He was twice a winner as a two-year-old for the Charlton team over this trip of 7f. More encouragingly, both wins came on the all-weather, including one over course and distance. They earned him a mark of 88 for his handicap debut in April.
However, as he had on debut at Newbury last year, he disappointed on turf, finishing well-beaten on both starts on grass. However, a return to Lingfield ensured a much better performance once again, albeit an unfortunate one.
He and Saffie Osborne were slowly away that day and did not get a clear run until the field were on the home stretch. By that point, the winner and runner-up had flown from the front, but once he was eventually extricated from his pocket, Honky Tonk Man flew home to claim third, beaten only two lengths.
He put at least four lengths between himself and the rest of the field behind him and a 1lb rise could look minimal for an unlucky loser.
PRAIRIE FALCON – (7.45 Newcastle)
The North team look to hold all the aces in race five at Newcastle. Minnesota Lad may well improve to carry topweight on his nursery debut, but PRAIRIE FALCON is narrowly preferred.
Michael Dods’ charge has run in some very competitive races so far and it has taken a colt with serious constitution to win one. His only poor effort came on debut, but on two maiden and novice starts at Ayr thereafter, he was beaten under two lengths by horses who have contested some top conditions prizes for juveniles this season.
On his most recent start, he travelled to Goodwood for his handicap debut and belied odds of 14/1 to win under Hollie Doyle. Though he was put under some serious late pressure, he knuckled down to win by a head. The competition of his first three races likely paid dividends.
That nursery was probably stronger than this one and he only has a 2lb rise to deal with. The drop back to 6f may ask a question, but he looks up to winning again.
LOVES ME LIKEAROCK – (8.15 Newcastle)
This could prove a good half-hour for Team North as True Mason is improving back to the levels of his early career form. Nevertheless, this is two steps up in class for him and another 7lb rise against more dangerous opposition.
A value option might be LOVES ME LIKEAROCK for Charlie Hills. This race plays to his sprinters strengths and it will be very interesting to see how she does back on the all-weather too. She has won both races on such a surface at Lingfield and Wolverhampton.
Her record in turf is not bad, though she has not quite got her head in front on grass. Her best came when second on her seasonal return in April off this mark, though she has twice run well off marks higher than this at Newmarket and Chester since.
Her all-weather wins may have been achieved in novice company, but they were solid victories. She has progressed since and looks value off a mark she has already been placed off this year and on a surface she may well prefer.
FAUSTUS – (8.45 Newcastle)
The finale may flash before our eyes over 5f. The hugely consistent Cuban Breeze has been winning on alternate starts, so may be due back in the winners’ enclosure, but there are plenty in with winning chances here.
One who seems to be overlooked in that respect is FAUSTUS for Robert Cowell. He comes out on top on adjusted Racing Post Ratings and has won over course and distance already this season.
That came back in March off a mark of 81, but two races since have seen his mark slide to just 1lb above that. Yet he was fairly readily in charge that day and can easily be forgiven his two runs since. The first was in a very competitive race at Newmarket on ground which was too quick, while he would have been beaten a much shorter distance without being eased late on at Windsor last time.
This mark gives him a real opportunity back at this venue and it would be a surprise if he did not go off shorter than the 14/1 currently on offer.
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