Tag: Glen Moss

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

Goodwood and Newmarket 24th August Preview

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

Although most of the attention will be on the final day of the Ebor meeting at York, there are plenty of decent betting opportunities at Goodwood and Newmarket.

Anyone who saw Glen Moss cruise to success at Newbury to land a gamble last weekend will be happy to support him under a 6lb penalty in the Heritage Handicap tomorrow. I tipped him last week at 11-2 and was surprised as much by his SP of 5-2 as the ease of his victory. The confidence behind him was fully justified and I cannot let him go unbacked at around 6-1 this week.

Frankie Dettori gets the ride with the jockeys spread far and wide and he should be able to follow the pace from his draw in midfield. I am always wary of the Johnston horses in these handicap races and Galician gave Glen Moss a beating at Ascot and meets him on identical terms. The grey filly has run twice since and I’m hoping she doesn’t turn up to spoil the party.

Equally as impressive as Glen Moss was the performance of Afsare at Salisbury last time. Everyone knows that Afsare is a character having refused to enter the stalls previously and also finished second in the Arlington Million 12 months ago. If he’s on song tomorrow they won’t know which way he’s gone.

My old friends John Gosden and William Buick have a busy day lined up at Newmarket tomorrow. Fledged has already been backed off the boards before I could get my copy “to press” so there won’t be any 6-1 left by the time you read this. He looks progressive and is obviously expected to complete his hat-trick on Saturday.

Willow Beck has a similar profile and won at the course easily recently. Taayel is probably facing the toughest task of the three but is open to improvement and holds Valbchek on his last outing. The trio are worth doing in a nice patent.

Glen Moss 7-1 Bet Victor

Afsare 11-4 Bet365

Fledged 4-1 Coral

Willow Beck 2-1 Paddy Power

Taayel 4-1 Paddy Power

Ascot Victoria Cup Preview May 11th

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

After the tight turns of Chester we are back to a straight seven furlong contest at Ascot for the feature event on Saturday. The Victoria Cup is a competitive handicap with a maximum field of 29 runners with the bookmakers going 10-1 the field on Thursday.

The obvious market leader is Newbury Spring Cup winner Haaf A Sixpence. He tracked front-running Dream Tune through the first seven furlongs before going on to grab the spoils. The race looked top class with several of the Lincoln runners finishing behind him and it was a game effort. His style of racing suggests that the drop back to seven furlongs won’t inconvenience him. He has been given a 5lb penalty for that success and looks sure to run well although he may find Dream Tune harder to pass this time.

Dream Tune has been tried over a variety of distances from six to ten furlongs by Clive Cox but that latest run suggested seven furlongs could see him at his best. He has been drawn in stall two so you would expect him to bounce out and race prominently as he did at Newbury. Ryan Tate has been booked and takes off a handy five pounds, putting him 10lb better off at the weights with Haaf A Sixpence. He only weakened in the closing stages at Newbury and lost two places in the final 50 yards so it is not difficult to imagine him playing a prominent role over a shorter trip. At 16-1 he must have each-way claims.

Another leading contender is the progressive four-year-old Tartiflette who ran out an impressive winner at Haydock without her rider having to resort to the stick. She had Cape Classic and Highland Colori behind her that day and she looks capable of confirming the form despite a 6lb rise in the weights. Charlie Hills is making a good job of stepping into his father’s shoes and was unlucky not to win the 1000 Guineas last Sunday with Just The Judge. He saddles Glen Moss who ran on well at Kempton on the all-weather last time and looks capable of picking up a decent handicap this season.

With the draw certain to be a factor, it may be worth hedging your bets with a runner on each side and I’m keen on the chances of Ascot regular Lightning Cloud. Kevin Ryan’s consistent grey ran at this venue four times last season including when fifth in this race and a close third over the same trip in October. He runs particularly well for Amy Ryan and looked a certain future winner when finishing a close third at Thirsk on his seasonal debut. He looked to have plenty of ground to make up turning for home but was flying at the finish and would have got up in another couple of strides. He should be spot on for Saturday and 14-1 looks an attractive each-way price.

There are plenty of dangers including Jamesie who ran well in a couple of big handicaps last season and will have been sharpened up by his head defeat at Dundalk. I shall stick with Lightning Cloud and Dream Tune against the field.

Lightning Cloud (each-way) 14-1 Bet Victor
Dream Tune (each-way) 16-1 Skybet