GG tipster Andrew Mount reveals his list of eyecatchers from the past week’s action!
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DARK JEDI (3rd) 1m4f handicap, Ripon, Saturday April 29th
DARK JEDI fared best of those ridden patiently when a 13-2 third in the M.C.H. Hutchinson Memorial Trophy Handicap and can have his three-length defeat upgraded. Five of his six wins have come in high summer, and he should be winning again soon.
DASHING ROGER (5th) 1m handicap, Leicester, Saturday, April 29th
DASHING ROGER, usually a prominent racer, completely blew the start in the 1m Madri Excepcional King Richard III Handicap at Leicester last Saturday and it was soon game over for Bill Stone’s well-backed six-year-old. He trailed home just over 13 lengths behind the winner in fifth place and this effort is safely ignored. He has a good strike-rate on turf, especially in small fields, recording form figures of 316212141175 (5-12) for a profit of £16.50 when faced with ten or fewer rivals.
GOD OF THUNDER (2nd) 1m2f handicap, Bath, Monday, May 1st
GOD OF THUNDER was sent off as the 100-30 favourite to beat PROPHET’S DREAM (see below) in the Best Cleaning Group Handicap and though beaten by almost five lengths it was certainly no disgrace, as he’s just run into an incredibly well handicapped rival. He can go one better next time.
GOLDEN SANDS (3rd) 8.5f handicap, Beverley, Thursday, April 27th
On soft ground, the inside of the track was not the place to be and GOLDEN SANDS deserves extra credit for his half-length 28-1 third in the Paul Norris Memorial Handicap. This took his career score on turf to 0-11 and he’ll be of particular interest when returned to an all-weather surface, having won three times at Wolverhampton and once at Kempton.
INDIAN CREAK (1st) 6f handicap Windsor, Monday, May 1st
Jack Channon has made a good start to his training career since taking over the licence from his father and small-field expert INDIAN CREAK got back to winning ways with conditions to suit in the 6f Download The At The Races App Handicap. He comfortably saw off his five rivals from the front, taking his record over 5f-7f in single-figure line-ups on turf to 1141257221241 (5-13) for a profit of £14.75 to a £1 level stake at SP, including a three-from-three haul at Windsor.
MR WAGYU (8th) 5f handicap, Ripon, Saturday, April 29
I make no apologies for banging the MR WAGYU drum again as we’re only a few weeks away from the start of his peak June/July period. He’s won 15 of his 30 starts in those months for a profit of £69.35 to a £1 level stake at SP and made the frame in the majority of the defeats, often at big prices in some of the most competitive sprint handicaps of the season. He was only eighth of ten in the 5f Ripon Silver Sprint Trophy Handicap last week but finished almost five lengths closer to the winner than he had done on last month’s comeback at Newmarket, and he’ll be raring to go at the beginning of next month.
NOTRE MASION (5th) 5f handicap, Bath, Monday, May 1st
Low draws have enjoyed a big edge at Bath this season and the usual easy-ground bias to high draws has gone missing. The first three finishers in the 5f Sky Sports Racing Sky 415 Handicap came from stalls 4, 1 and 2 of 15 and those who permed the four lowest stalls in a Tote Trifecta were rewarded with a dividend of £579.20. NOTRE MAISON (stall 15) broke smartly from the widest draw but get across to the favoured rail and his 11-1 fifth was a noteworthy effort.
PRIDE OF PRIORY (6th) 1m4f handicap, Ripon, Saturday April 29th
The William Haggas-trained PRIDE OF PRIORY was sent off as the 16-5 favourite for the six-runner 1m4f M.C.H. Hutchinson Memorial Trophy Handicap at Ripon last Saturday but his patient running style was at a huge disadvantage and he failed to beat a rival, coming home just over ten lengths behind the all-the-way winner. The soft ground wasn’t ideal either – his three turf wins have come on good/faster – and the market could overreact to this run next time.
PROPHET’S DREAM (1st) 1m2f handicap, Bath, Monday, May 2nd
I gave PROPHET’S DREAM a write-up in my Racing & Football Outlook column in December 2021 after his debut 14-1 fourth of 14 from a poor wide draw in a 7f maiden at Chelmsford. He was then campaigned very much with handicaps in mind, finishing seventh at Salisbury and fifth at Kempton. He was sent off at 50-1 for his handicap debut at Goodwood last June but only went down by a nose in second. Sir Mark Todd’s four-year-old made no mistake when reappearing after a 325-day absence in the 1m2f Best Cleaning Group Handicap at Bath on bank holiday Monday, breaking smartly from his wide draw and making all to win eased-down in a fast time. He can follow up.
RHUBARB (7th) 5f handicap, Bath, Monday, May 1st
RHUBARB (stall 5 of 15) had a useful draw in the same 5f handicap as Notre Maison (see above) but didn’t possess the early speed to take advantage of it. He was scrubbed along from some way out before staying on from the rear to finish in mid-division at 20-1. His four career wins have come at Chepstow, and he’ll be very backable when next returned to that venue.
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