Tag: James Doyle

Local Time to boost classic claims in UAE Oaks

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

Local Time could put herself in the picture for the 1000 Guineas at Newmarket by winning the UAE Oaks impressively at Meydan on Thursday.

The daughter of Invincible Spirit has won her last five races for Trainer Saeed bin Suroor who is looking for an incredible tenth win in the race. Last year he won the UAE 1000 Guineas and Oaks with the smart filly Ihtimal. She was only beaten three-quarters of a length at Newmarket behind Miss France and finished an unlucky fifth in the Oaks at Epsom. Tragically, she met with a fatal accident on the gallops in January.

Hopefully there will be a brighter future for Godolphin’s latest star filly who would need to be supplemented for the Newmarket classic. That is by no means unlikely and she looks impossible to oppose in the Oaks with stable companion Good Place her nearest market rival.  James Doyle partners the favourite with William Buick aboard Good Place, an improving daughter of Street Cry who should appreciate the step up in distance.

She has been slowly away in both of her races in Dubai this winter but will have plenty of time to settle in this small field. The only realistic danger to the Godolphin duo is Mike de Kock’s Shahrasal who was third in the UAE 1000 Guineas. It is difficult to see any reason why Local Time cannot confirm the form and I don’t see the extra furlong and a half posing a problem.

There are plenty of familiar names in action on Thursday’s card including Outstrip and Safety Check in the Zabeel Mile. Outstrip has been disappointing since winning the Breeders’ Cup juvenile in 2013, although he did finish within three lengths of Kingman last season. He was slowly away here last month and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the grey fitted with some headgear at some point during the summer.

His stable companion Safety Check was an emphatic winner of a Group 2 here last month but steps up to a mile. Six of his seven wins have been over seven furlongs and he could be vulnerable over this distance. Brendan Powell’s Dark Emerald is on a hat-trick while Johan Strauss, Darwin and Short Squeeze are others with claims in a very competitive event.

Local Time 1000 Guineas Newmarket @40-1 888Sport

Leicester Tuesday Preview

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

G Force (11-1) rounded off a brilliant week for Betcirca followers, giving us a profit on five consecutive days of UK racing. All good things must come to an end but we’ll take a look at Tuesday’s Leicester card in the hope of extending the sequence.

My regular readers will know that I am a big fan of Newmarket and Newbury maiden races, especially at the smaller tracks. There are a couple of two-year-olds taking promising Newmarket efforts to the midlands course tomorrow and both look to have winning chances.

Dancetrack was slowly away on his debut and was then hampered when beginning his run. In the circumstances, fifth was about as good as he could have expected behind Tannaaf and he can open his account for Charlie Hills in the 2.50. Several of the top yards are running newcomers here but only Glorious Dubai holds ambitious entries and Dancetrack can put his experience to good use.

My reasoning is almost identical with Housemaker in the 4.50 for Karl Burke. This filly finished a fine second at Newmarket after being collared on her outside by Mehronissa. The winner has been given an entry in next year’s Irish Guineas so clearly trainer Ed Vaughan thinks a lot of her. Once again, there are runners from top stables including two from Sir Michael Stoute’s but I am prepared to take a chance on the favourite.

High Church caught the eye at Salisbury last time out when given an enormous amount of ground to make up. It may be that his rider was under instructions to make sure he got home over the mile and a half but he was never seriously in contention. I would expect James Doyle to be much closer to the pace here and I rate Mustadaam the danger.

The seven-furlong handicap at 4.20 looks wide open but my two against the field are the hat-trick seeking Take Note and the slightly frustrating Secretinthepark. The former won easily at Sandown last time and can make a bold bid from the one stall while Secretinthepark moved up looking like a winner last time out. I expect Richard Hughes to hold him up longer this time and he looks a solid each-way bet.

Finally, Green Door can win the conditions race if he can get away on terms. He was left three or four lengths at Nottingham last time before running on into second. The cheekpieces are fitted here and Jamie Spencer should be able to see off Boston Rocker who is better over further than this five furlongs.

Dancetrack 2.50

High Church 3.50 @5-2 Bet365

Secretinthepark 4.20 @7-1 Bet365 (each-way)

Take A Note 4.20 @7-1 Coral

Housemaker 4.50

Green Door 5.25 @5-2 BetVictor

Irish 2000 Guineas Preview

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

Having backed Kingman for the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket at odds of 16-1 last June, it was frustrating to see the race split into two groups. I remember being at the track when Hawk Wing was beaten in similar circumstances by Rock Of Gibraltar, although it turned out that both were brilliant milers.

Night Of Thunder’s 40-1 win was hard to explain after Kingman had beaten him so convincingly at Newbury in the Greenham. I suppose he just needed the run more than the favourite and improved considerably for the race. The fact that he won despite veering off a true line suggests that he was a worthy winner.

Kingman now goes in search of redemption in the Irish equivalent and is odds-on to succeed. The race is very different to Newmarket’s straight mile and James Doyle should be able to get a breather into his colt. The one slight concern is the going at the Curragh, currently described as yielding. Kingman probably wouldn’t want it any softer as the Curragh mile takes some getting if they go a fast pace.

Shifting Gold made heavy weather of winning the European Free Handicap but ran the race of his life in the Guineas to finish fourth. Connections were clearly elated with that effort and he bids to give Hannon Junior a second classic. He looks the sort of horse to grind out his victories rather than win impressively so I’d expect to see Richard Hughes ride him close to the pace.

Dermot Weld’s Mustajeb seems to be all the rage after an easy win in a Group 3 at Leopardstown. Whilst you could not fault the style of his victory, you have to doubt whether beating Brendan Brackan entitles him to be as short at 6-1 against horses with classic form.

War Command was only ninth in the Guineas, sinking our other ante-post wager placed after his demolition job in the Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot. Clearly he was a classic case of a good horse that did not really improve and he has been overtaken by others in his generation. The positive vibes from Ballydoyle were all about Australia prior to the Guineas and they proved to be correct.

This does not look like a race to get rich on but Kingman should beat this field and head to the Royal meeting for a possible re-match with Night Of Thunder.

Kingman 8-11 Bet365, William Hill