The Racing League is back on Thursday at Yarmouth and Matty Sutcliffe has been busy studying some competitive handicaps expected on night one. He has picked out five best bets across the seven races, with a confident selection to conclude the card.
5:40 Yarmouth – Racing League Race 1 Handicap (In The Care Of Trainers Registered To Racing League) (GBBPlus Race) (Class 4) (3yo+ 0-85) – Newtown Duke 12/1 1pt EW 4 places
Yarmouth looks set to be contested in attritional conditions so this field, and the rest of the card, can be narrowed down to those proven to revel in the mud. The majority of horses in here would prefer a sounder surface, thus NEWTOWN DUKE looks overpriced for Wales and the West, who landed the inaugural running of this contest.
The Lope De Vega gelding was a 380k purchase as a yearling, and showed some consistent form in Maidens for Dermot Weld last season. He was gelded a month after a poor effort at Roscommon and subsequently changed hands to Ian Williams for 38k, where he made a quiet yard debut in a Sandown Maiden, beaten ten lengths in rear when not entirely persevered with.
He fared much better on handicap debut at Carlisle earlier this month when carrying top-weight on heavy going, staying on dourly from rear to be beaten 3/4L by an always prominent pair in receipt of 11lbs and 13lbs respectively.
It’s plausible to think that he wasn’t entirely primed for that contest given the SP and the yard, but we can upgrade the effort regardless and the prize money of this contest may have been in mind prior, so if he can strip fitter for that effort then he’s likely to be bang there in a race where few will handle the conditions as well as him with the step up in trip to suit both visually, and on pedigree as he’s a full brother to the smart middle distance type Duke De Sessa.
6:10 Yarmouth – Racing League Race 2 Handicap (In The Care Of Trainers Registered To Racing League) (Class 4) (3yo+ 0-85) – Tiger Tulip 11/1 1pt WIN
TIGER TULPI displayed clear ability when comfortably running away with a Wolverhampton fillies maiden in October 2023, but her form dipped since to be of little significance. There was the odd glimmer, such as being beaten a head at Windsor last September prior to showing up well on soft ground at Sandown next time out, but again her form took a dip and she plummeted to a mark of 64.
She sprung a surprise in May however, having been beaten 13 lengths at Wolverhampton five days before running away with a Class 4 handicap at Windsor at an un-fancied 33/1. She made all in comfortable fashion there, keeping on strongly at the line in the manner of one well handicapped and she proved that was no fluke next time out. She was again sent off at lofty odds of 22/1 in a 17-runner Newbury Handicap, but she made all once more and kicked away in impressive fashion, hitting the line strongly to clock a fair time in the process.
There appears to be no fluke in how she’s progressing, but rather she’s a filly who’s clearly got the hang of racing and she’s well birthed in stall one to bounce out and make all one more. While she’s yet to win on a softer surface, she coped with soft ground at Sandown and her pedigree (by Aclaim and a half sister to a winning softer ground mare for the yard) would suggest she’ll be happy on the surface.
6:40 Yarmouth – Racing League Race 3 Handicap (In The Care Of Trainers Registered To Racing League) (Class 4) (3yo+ 0-80) – Atlantic Gamble 7/1 1pt WIN
William Knight won this race in the colours of the East last season but this term finds himself transferred to Scotland, where he’s represented by ATLANTIC GAMBLE. His last years’ winner, Royal Velvet, was by Lightning Spear as is Atlantic Gamble, whose proven form in the mud makes him a strong contender.
He’s a versatile gelding with an excellent strike rate to 6/16, and he’s 2/2 on soft/heavy ground turf. He progressed rapidly last term with form figures of 71111311 in handicaps, including once over C&D and his latest victory came off this mark when comfortably landing a Newbury 0-85 in boggy conditions in game fashion.
He’s yet to fire this term, but he’s hardly been put into his races in rear and the SP’s of 10/1, 25/1, 28/1 and 11/1 tell the story, but in second time cheek-pieces he ran a solid race at Kempton last time out off top-weight when staying on strongly to be beaten a length in the manner of one ready to strike.
He returns from a month off over a winning C&D on favoured ground with Brandon Wilkie on board, who was 3/3 on him last season, so the inclination is that he’s been saved for this and should be cherry ripe for a return to the winners enclosure now back on his last winning mark.
7:10 Yarmouth – Racing League Race 4 Handicap (In The Care Of Trainers Registered To Racing League) (Class 3) (3yo+ 0-95) – Racingbreaks Ryder 7/1 1pt WIN
Progeny of Fast Company are prolific when the mud’s flying which immediately draws the eye to RACINGBREAKS RYDER. Charlie Hils’ gelding progressed well in the early stages of his career, beaten two lengths by Bluestocking in a Salisbury Novice before landing a Brighton Novice on soft ground on his final two year old start, and continued that progression as a three year old to land a hat trick of handicaps (twice on soft) before his progress halted when well beaten in the Britannia off a mark of 97, 18lbs higher than when beginning life in handicaps.
He’d gone completely off the boil that season, and a subsequent gelding operation initially failed to spar further improvement last term despite the odd glimmer of hope, prior to eventually landing a soft ground Catterick Handicap off a career low mark of 79.
A subsequent 6lbs rise saw him come up four lengths short at Doncaster next time out and he fared little better at Kempton on seasonal debut, but he’s yet to be beaten more than two lengths in his three subsequent starts since this season and only one of those was on soft ground turf, where he was beaten a short head by the 13/8F at Goodwood off level weights, who franked that form next time out when landing the Scottish Stewards Cup off 86, now rated 90.
He was ahead just after the line there and remains on the same mark, and given his form on ground containing soft in the description off a mark of 84 or lower (according to Timeform, including novices’) reads 211452142, this well-handicapped gelding can show up strongly.
8:40 Yarmouth – Racing League Race 7 Handicap (In The Care Of Trainers Registered To Racing League) (GBBPlus Race) (Class 2) (3yo+) – Wave Rider 2pt WIN SP
The most confident selection of the evening comes in the last in the form of WAVE RIDER, who I’d expect to land this quite comfortably. The firms are currently split between 9/4 and 3/1, and I’d obviously recommend taking the latter if you can, but for the sake of credibility I’ll advise at SP which I imagine will be around the region in the middle of those two prices.
The Belardo gelding made a promising debut in a Sandown Novice last July, staying on in an eyecatching manner to be beaten three lengths by Bay City Roller who’s now rated 110, with that 101 rated King’s Charter two lengths ahead in third.
He was then gelded presumably due to his keenness and reappeared 76 days later when favourite for a seven furlong course novice, and he still looked somewhat raw to be beaten a length into third, however the winner is now rated 103 having comfortably taking a C2 Handicap at Hamilton last time out, with the second rated 84, the fourth rated 98 and the fifth rated 90, so it’s safe to say the form’s worked out.
Wave Rider should’ve landed a Wolverhampton Novice on seasonal debut this term when again staying on in the manner of one needing further, splitting a pair both rated 88. He then made his handicap debut in the London Gold Cup which the Charltons have farmed with some high class horses, and given he was their sole entrant it’s evident as to how highly they regard him. He was relatively unfancied in the market there and couldn’t quite get into the race in rear with Trevor Whelan predominantly focusing on getting him settled, but he was only beaten three lengths and the form has worked out typically well.
The third landed the Golden Gates Stakes at Royal Ascot next time out and is now rated 9lbs higher, the fifth has franked the form since, as has the seventh. The hood was then discarded when dropped back into maiden company at Sandown next time out and he settled much better over the trip, travelling ominously through the field before drawing away with ease once pulled to the outside to win under hands and heels.
The majority of his form would suggest a mark of 88 will underestimate him in time, and how he’s seemingly learnt to settle, this looks the perfect opportunity for him to break his handicap duck. He’s off joint bottom weight as well as receiving a 3yo allowance and given how treacherous the ground could be coming 8:40, that will clearly play into his favour with his trainer suggesting he’ll be much better on a softer surface too.
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