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16:35 Ripon
I am praying to all that is holy that this race goes off with at least 8 runners. There’s nine in there at the moment and my selection looks an outsider with an each way chance. His likelihood of grabbing a place is obviously going to be helped if we have the right quota of runners and we get that third placed spot.
Now obviously the very lightly raced Strawberry Rock from the yard of Hugo Palmer seems a more likely winner but it’s actually one of the Tim Easterby trained duo that gets the juices flowing so to speak. Both of Easterby’s charge have course and distance success but it’s the outsider of the two, currently priced at 16/1, MUKHAYYAM that gets my vote. Two wins in the past from just four career starts over course and distance. Both victories have come off higher marks and one even came in a better grade. An each way chance at a huge price especially now returning to Class 4 company.
MUKHAYYAM
16:40 Newmarket
The big race of the day is the Cambridgeshire at Flat HQ… AKA Newmarket but in order to see my selection there you have to wait until the final race on the card. Trainer Roger Fell has bagged three winners from his yard in the past five days and sends out six year old course and distance winner PRESIDENTIAL. The booking of Cieren Fallon is a positive in what looks a competitive handicap. His form this term has been very up and down but produced one of his better performances here earlier in the year. A win and two places from five starts at Newmarket previously with both placed performances coming off higher marks. It looks a tough race but worth a shot at around 10/1.
PRESIDENTIAL
17:45 Chelmsford
All eyes will be on the unlucky Triumph Hurdle faller Goshen but the yard of Gary Moore may be able to find success elsewhere in the 17:45 at Chelmsford with six year old LUXFORD. Her best efforts have been over course and distance and included a third placed finish here just a handful of starts back.
She’s far from prolific having not tasted success since October 2017 but that came here, at a big price and with much more weight to carry. The level of opposition hardly screams high class and if truth be told if you ran the race 10 times you’d likely end up with ten different victors. I just hope that Saturday evening is when it’s Gary Moore’s charge's time to strike.
LUXFORD
18:15 Chelmsford
SOLID STONE is the current 6/4 market leader and hails from the bang in form yard of Sir Michael Stoute. He’s had 8 winners from 34 runners in the past two weeks and that’s without even mentioning that one of the breakout starts of the season Hollie Doyle is in the saddle.
A much better showing when returned to the all-weather at Kempton last time when he managed to claim third. I’m not 100% convinced a return to 10 furlongs will help but his all-weather form reads one win and a place from just two starts on the artificial surface and although the likes of Red October and Global Heat give me something to think about I’m hoping it’s a race in which the favourite can claim success. SOLID STONE
written by Rory Paddock
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