Tag: Cafe Society

Windsor Monday Preview

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

We did well enough at Newbury on Saturday with Mount Athos and Cannock Chase keeping us in profit. Newmarket proved trickier to unravel and Stomp was beaten in the Coral Sprint. I felt that he did not really get the run of the race but stuck on well enough to suggest he can claim a decent prize this season.

The pick of Monday’s action is at Windsor and all signs point to Café Society in the 8.05. The David Simcock-trained four-year-old caught the eye on his seasonal debut when sixth at Newmarket behind The Mighty Yar.

Jamie Spencer rode him into a never-nearer sixth place without giving him a hard time. He was slowly away but settled not far behind the eventual winner The Mighty Yar. He also had Van Percy in close proximity for much of the race and the Balding-trained horse came out and won on Saturday. Spencer found the gaps closing when he went to make a forward move while Ryan Moore had a smooth passage on The Mighty Yar. He wouldn’t have beaten him but he could have been third or fourth with a clear run.

We have been caught out before by Café Society after he went into the notebook with a fast finishing second to Bold Sniper at Ascot. Things did not go his way on his next outing when heavily backed but there is little in the opposition here to cause concern.

Café Society has always promised to win a valuable prize and this could be a nice stepping-stone to one of the big handicaps at Royal Ascot next month. He looked a desperately unlucky loser at Ascot l last year behind Bold Sniper and his turn is surely not far away.

Jakey hung badly at Epsom last time out when finishing only fifth behind Beacon Lady. Modernism has been on the go all winter on the all-weather and looks to be bottoming out while Nicholascopernicus was beaten 40 lengths on his first outing. Ballinderry Boy is the most obvious threat, mainly because he is trained by Balding and ridden by Oisin Murphy. Even so, this is well short of his best trip of two miles and Café Society can finally get things right.

Café Society 8.05 Windsor at 6-4 Bet365, Paddy Power

Ascot Saturday 7th September Preview

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

Ascot provides a typically competitive card on Saturday and opens with a seven-furlong handicap at 1.55. Many of these horses have been running against each other all season, taking it in turns to scoop the big prizes. Galician bolted up in the International Stakes here whilst Glen Moss landed a huge gamble at Newbury last month. Field Of Dream had his turn in the Bunbury Cup whilst Excellent Guest won the Victoria Cup in the spring.

At present, the rain seems to be largely confined to the north so the going could remain on the fast side. The bookmakers have opened up at 7-1 the field and it is difficult to be confident about any of these. Glen Moss won so easily for us at Newbury that I had to follow him at Goodwood despite an unfavourable draw. Frankie Dettori bounced him out smartly but he was a spent force inside the final furlong and back-peddled quickly. He could be worth each-way support at 16-1.

There are some nice two-year-olds about at the moment but few can boast a finer pedigree than Andrew Balding’s Casual Smile. She is by the Guineas, Derby and Arc winner Sea The Stars out of Oaks winner Casual Look. She made her debut in a good maiden at Newmarket last month and stayed on very nicely into second over seven furlongs. She has only three opponents over a mile in the 3.00 race and I’d be disappointed if she can’t see them off.

Café Society has been well backed ante-post for the Ladbrokes Mobile Handicap and there certainly looks to be plenty more to come from this colt by Motivator. He was having only the fifth start of his career when just failing to catch Bold Sniper here last time. Spencer had him locked away on the rails and drove him out with hands and heels only to lose out by a neck. He had previously won going away at Salisbury and looks weighted to win this.

Sir Michael Stoute’s Plover has not managed to add to her victory in a Kempton maiden so far but she shaped promisingly at Newmarket last time. She is stepping up from seven furlongs to a mile and did nothing but stay on in the race won by Malekat Jamal from Ghasabah. The runner-up in that race is a filly that I like a lot and Plover could be good value in a race that shouldn’t take a lot of winning.

Balding has double prospects with Dungannon in the last. He never saw any daylight in the Sandown sprint won by Burning Thread but came through strongly to finish fourth. He shaped as though he could be ready for a big run and must have each-way claims.

Glen Moss 16-1 Stan James

Casual Smile 3-1 Bet365

Café Society 6-1 Paddy Power

Plover 8-1 Bet365

Dungannon 5-1 Bet365