Tag: Red Avenger

York Thursday Preview

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

16-1 winner Dutch Connection gave Betcirca followers a great start to the Ebor meeting and Australia enhanced his reputation with a smooth win in the International Stakes.

The star of the show at York on Thursday is the unbeaten filly Taghrooda. Although I backed her at Epsom, I neglected her at Ascot last time in favour of an each-way bet on Mukhadram. She was very impressive in seeing off both he and Telescope and looks impossible to oppose in the Yorkshire Oaks.

Volume ran well in the Irish Oaks but a bigger threat may come from Aidan O’Brien’s Tapestry who was an unlucky second with a slipping saddle. Ryan Moore is aboard her and she could be the each-way bet but it will be a major surprise if Taghrooda is beaten.

When a horse wins for you at 25-1 it is very difficult not to invest in them next time. Sentimentality comes into it and I cannot ignore Red Avenger after his win at Glorious Goodwood. I backed him on a line through Abseil and their previous meeting at Epsom’s Derby meeting. Early on, things looked bleak for Red Avenger as he was shuffled back and it was a brilliant ride from Fortune to get him up to win.

He is only 3lbs higher at York but James Doyle has the ride. Another problem is that he is drawn 1 and does not possess a lot of early speed. Hopefully Doyle can keep him in touch just off the rail and deliver a challenge in the closing stages.

The early races look booked for the Richard Hannon stable with Kool Kompany and Tiggy Wiggy. Both have been on the go all season and don’t owe anyone a thing. Tiggy Wiggy was quite brilliant in the Newbury Super Sprint and I cannot oppose her, even against two Royal Ascot winners. There isn’t much value to be had with Kool Kompany on these weight terms and I’m going to have an each-way on Valley Of Fire.

William Haggas would not waste an entry unless he thought the colt was up to this class and he can improve on his course and distance win. The Galtres Stakes looks worth avoiding, although Haggas can go close again there with Arabian Comet. John Gosden could complete a memorable day by taking the closing handicap with Enraptured. She ran a lot better than her finishing position suggests behind Kosika last time and could be better value than Stoute’s Bragging.

1.55 Kool Kompany at 11-4 BetVictor

1.55 Valley Of Fire (each-way) at 8-1 Bet365

2.30 Tiggy Wiggy at 15-8 Paddy Power

3.05 Red Avenger (each-way) at 11-1 Coral

3.40 Tapestry (each-way) at 12-1 Coral

4.55 Enraptured (each way) at 16-1 Betfair

Goodwood Friday Preview

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

Friday’s Goodwood card opens up with the return to action of 2012 St Leger winner Encke. The 25-1 winner put paid to Camelot’s Triple Crown hopes but has not been able to race since owing to a failed drug test. He has reportedly been working well over a mile but would prefer a bit of cut in the ground and will surely be a little rusty on his comeback.

The same cannot be said of Sir Michael Stoute’s Hillstar who will be  having his fifth start of the campaign and has finished runner-up in the last three. He seemed to do nothing wrong behind Cavalryman last time at Newmarket and renews rivalry with Pether’s Moon who finished just behind him. Ryan Moore can make sure that the Stoute bandwagon keeps rolling.

The second race pitches classic form against a mixture of promising handicappers and a real dark horse from Godolphin. The famous blue silks were notable by the absence in the winner’s enclosure at the start of the week but Rapprochement looks an exciting recruit.

He wore a hood on his debut and had the rest of the field beaten fully three furlongs out, eventually winning by 11 lengths. Of course, they could all turn out to be useless but it will be fascinating to see how he copes with the likes of Shifting Power and Lightning Thunder. John Gosden’s Wannabe Yours won by nine lengths off a mark of 84 and has been put up to an official mark of 100 so he too could be in the shake-up.

The Betfred Mile has seldom been kind to me over the years. It all goes back to a “handicap good thing” of Sir Michael Stoute’s called Desert Dirham who tried to overcome a wide draw and was just about on the floor in the home straight. I also followed Stoute’s Safawan throughout his career and inexplicably didn’t back him off a light weight when he won here.

I cannot see any Safawan’s amongst this lot but the Epsom form between Velox and Red Avenger is interesting. Both were knocked sideways by Abseil’s failure to negotiate the camber and they have good draws here. Velox has since won for the in-form Luca Cumani at Sandown while Red Avenger has done not a lot. Back them both to be on the safe side.

Hillstar 1.55 Goodwood Friday @9-4 BetVictor

Rapprochement 2.30 Goodwood Friday @6-1 BetVictor

Velox 3.05 Goodwood Friday @7-1 Bet365

Red Avenger 3.05 Goodwood Friday @25-1 BetVictor (each-way)