A Right Rapid Review : Plates, Bells and Whistles
From Chepstow to Carlisle, Newcastle to Newmarket. A review of the week, for my beneift as much as yours
Group 1 wins for Calandagan, finally, and Lambourn, again, lead the charge over the past week but here’s a day-by-day run down of other races you may have missed that tickled my pickle for one reason or another
MONDAY
There’s a guy on Twitter (that’s what it’s called) who tweets (that’s what they’re called) people in and around the horse racing world calling them Freemasons, adamant that the whole ‘racing media’ is made up of secret handshakes in shady lodges. Of all the mad stuff going on in the world today, it’s a fairly quaint conspiracy theory but I think my admiration for the form of the Welsh trainer Christopher Mason might fan the flames again.
Despite only having nine or ten horses, he’s won with five of them this season, three of them last week. Two others placed and one just missed out at Wolves. Gina Mangan rode them all too, so props to her for banging in the winners again (she’s on 15 so far and has her career high of 36 to beat from last year).
The best of them is ALL WAYS GLAMOROUS who absolutely bolted up in a very strong time for the grade at Chepstow last week, pulling clear by over three lengths. The form would be boosted later in the week by Level Up winning at Leicester and, to make it even more remarkable, he’s a full brother to three other horses, all trained by the same barn, including GLAMOROUS BREEZE, a winner just three days before at Haydock.
She won off 88, full sister Glamorous Anna reached a peak rating of 100, yet All Ways Glamorous did it off 71. He’s a proper ‘follow off a cliff’ sprinter and I bet this time next year he will be a 90+ sprinter without fail.
TUESDAY
A more obvious trainer in-form is James Owen, once again attempting to train every single type of racehorse to win in the space of a week with two-year-olds, handicap chasers and, in the shape of GINCIDENT, revitalised flat handicappers, which is very much his bread and butter.
He reached a mark of 89 for Richard Fahey, so winning again off marks in the 70’s isn’t overly impressive in theory, but since stepping up in trip and having the hood and tongue tie applied, he’s turned from a dodgy proposition in a finish to a grinder who won’t lie down, outbattling a Charlie Johnston horse of all things in a strong race at Beverley.
That’s two outta three since the headgear combo was tried, the sole defeat a second to another red hot handicapper worth following, DAWN OF LIBERATION, and he’s not done with yet. The third, SPIORODALTA, is a horse we know lots about, but he’s also in cracking nick, running on from an impossible position, and is one to back when the word firm disappears, which at this rate could be 2027.
WEDNESDAY
It’s so firm at Bath that their future fixtures have been transferred, presumably to a local kitchen wholesaler to be run on fresh granite work tops.
FANCY DANCER was given one of the cosiest rides I’ve seen in ages to win the opener. He’s in cracking form and goes on the A/W too. HIDDEN VERSE in fourth is one to forgive. A rail is only useful in Bath for the elderly and infirm. The rail at Bath racecourse is a horrible place to challenge and he was stuck down it from the get go.
Like an antiques shop in a sleepy market town, Carlisle was full of Bells and Plates, with the former going to HOT CASH and the latter being snapped up by some ROGUE MILLIONS. David Dickinson would be proud.
Both races look like good renewals. Both winners were given the right ride, coming over to the rail which, unlike Bath, is a good place to be in Cumbria. JIMMY SPEAKING pulled way too hard but somehow stayed on for a place whilst IMPARTIALITY had absolutely no chance with a slow start and coasted home. He’s better when he can show a turn of foot.
In the Plate, CAYMAN DANCER is from a yard on fire but looked desperately in need of further, almost nicking third.
THURSDAY
Race of the midweek was arguably at Hamilton. The rollcall of the 7.45 includes Godwinson and Wafei, both now comfortable in heritage handicaps and Listed races, and DANGER BAY might join them.
His second at Carlisle before is already strong form and he won easily here. TIERNAN ran another blinder in fourth and MONTEZUMA surely learned plenty on his first start for his new yard.
At Leicester, the award for ‘Rattled Past Most Runners In The Blink Of An Eye’ goes to OPTIMATUM in the closer, a day before his half brother won at Yarmouth, and enjoyed his first taste of fast turf so much that it would be no surprise, given the Johnston’s yard ability to keep horses rolling at this time of year, to see him rock up and dot up at Beverley on Friday. TOWERLANDS would have won on handicap debut if it wasn’t for those pesky kids the Charlie Johnston winner and looks nicely handicapped.
At Newmarket, it was hard not to like ANOTHER ABBOT dotting up on his first try over six furlongs, unless you’d backed either of his woefully unlucky defeats over 5f before. Cieren Fallon is riding out of his skin right now and gave the Haggas horse a peach of a ride to pull clear of some hardy track specialists. MIRACULOUS was stuck in the wrong part of the track and needs upgrading.
FRIDAY
Newcastle and Newmarket were once again upstaged, in my opinion, by a shoulder card in terms of interesting races with FAVORITE MEMORY and NOBLE CONSORT at Doncaster winning very, very nicely indeed.
Ralph Beckett will surely transform the former in a Listed class animal before the season ends, though a hot handicap might follow next. The latter was painfully unlucky at Wolves three weeks ago and had to prove himself on turf.
Doncaster is as close to artificial as grass gets, and he dotted up, weaving through the pack (taking out Minnesota Lad on the way admittedly), one crack of the whip to keep him on song as he hit the front. He has the perfect straight track Doncaster / Ascot / Newcastle profile and could be a stone or two higher by Christmas.
The forementioned N tracks threw up a hugely progressive three-year-old on the Tapeta at Newcastle. EXCELLENT BELIEVE had beaten a horse, River King, who I thought was a borderline certainty at Nottingham and followed it up here, galloping on remorselessly, duelling with Henry Tudor and breaking him so much that he practically gave up.
Both BREIZH SEA and REENIE’S DREAM had handicaps written all over them before this and finished third and fourth at big odds. The former emerged from the same Carlisle race as Danger Bay, the latter from two good ones at Thirsk. If they don’t pop up in a 0-60 at Newcastle in November, I’ll move to Switzerland and start making cuckoo clocks.
SATURDAY
More Plates on sale at Newcastle on Saturday with the Northumberland version taking centre stage. Another Andrew Balding Saturday (five winners across the cards) was headed by SPIRIT MIXER winning the feature. He’s seven but his second to Trueshan in this a few years ago was a real highlight.
Given how they spread out across the track, it looked like a Charity race coming into the final few furlongs, a daft gallop being set for a two-mile handicap. How FAYLAQ finished fifth I have no idea. CHARGING THUNDER also did a bit too much and, whilst he was probably flattered a little on the eye, EAST INDIA DOCK keeps doing it in big races.
The NATIVE WARRIOR race was also a fair old gallop. Half the field did too much, including the weirdly ridden deep closer ELDRICKJONES hitting the front halfway in, but CITY WALK will surely come on bundles for this first run in 18 months and will be interesting next time.
Finally, at Windsor, WISPER beat WESTRIDGE with the third a mile back and the second continues to intrigue. He beat the now 104 rated Roi De France here on fast ground last year, dotted up over ten furlongs at the track last time but has a head carriage so high he’s almost sniffing his own spine and seemingly chucked it in at Kempton. However, my tentative theory is he doesn’t stay a jot over 10 furlongs. Give him 1m2f on fast ground and he cruises into contention and finds plenty, but over even a furlong further he runs out of puff.