Tag: Richard Hannon

Windsor Preview – Monday 11th May

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Windsor on a Monday night is always popular with punters and there is a typically competitive card this evening. The feature race is the Royal Windsor Stakes at 7.20 with Shifting Power expected to start a short-priced favourite.

This race is something of a conundrum with none of the seven runners ideally suited by the good to fast ground. Shifting Power certainly has the best form on his Irish 2000 Guineas run behind Kingman in soft ground and he was fourth in the Newmarket classic on good ground. He produced his best run in very testing ground in France and he did seem to carry his head awkwardly at Sandown last time.

Clon Brulee really needs a mile and a quarter while Baltic Knight is fitted with blinkers for the first time. I like Intransigent but he’s never won over a mile or at this time of year. By process of elimination, I’m going for Complicit who has been running well on the all-weather. Tom Queally tried to steal a march on Tryster in the all-weather championships but was just run out of it in the final stages.

The two-year-old picture takes a while to settle down and experience counts for a lot in these early races. Alaskan Phantom ran well over course and distance on his debut for Daniel Kubler and could be worth a bet at around 9-2. The obvious dangers are the unraced Bournemouth Belle and Tears In My Eyes, from the yards of Richard Hannon and Jeremy Noseda respectively.

Ryan Moore seldom leaves Windsor without a winner and he should score on Genres in the 6.20. He made a very pleasing debut when just beaten by Exosphere having headed that horse inside the final furlong. John Gosden’s colt only needs to find normal improvement to get off the mark here. The main threat could come from Andrew Balding’s Scarlet Minstrel.

The 6.50 is a trappy handicap with only five remaining runners. You can make a case for each of them but I just prefer the claims of top weight Subcontinent. He put up a gutsy display to win at Doncaster last time out and has only been raised 3lbs. Shadow Rock ran well for a long way at Salisbury and could pose a bigger threat than the favourite Quick Defence.

Alaskan Phantom 5.50 @9-2 William Hill

Genres 6.20 @5-6 Ladbrokes

Subcontinent 6.50 @3-1 Boylesports

Complicit 7.20 @5-1 Bet365

Ascot Victoria Cup Preview

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The big betting race of the weekend is the Victoria Cup over seven furlongs at 3.45. As usual, it has attracted a huge field with 29 runners spread across the track.

The bookmakers are currently offering 12-1 the field and beating five places each-way, which tells you all that you need to know about the competitive nature of the race. Ed Dunlop has already scooped one major handicap this week with the Chester Cup and saddles Zarwaan here.

The four-year-old was our selection for the Lincoln at Doncaster and he ran a creditable race to finish sixth, unable to quicken in the closing stages behind Gabrial. He had chased home Chatez on soft ground at Haydock last year and was also a close fifth in the Britannia Handicap at Royal Ascot. He may just have needed the race at Doncaster and this drop back to seven furlongs could also see him in a better light.

Richard Hannon saddles Emell, a five-year-old by Medicean and an emphatic winner at Haydock in April. He wore blinkers for the first time when producing a fine turn of foot to beat Professor by three and a quarter lengths. The handicapper put him up 8lbs for that run and he looked unlucky not to follow up at Goodwood. He seemed to be travelling extremely well under Kieran O’Neill but could not find a gap. He eventually flashed home in fifth and races off the same mark here.

Speculative Bid is on a hat-trick for David Elsworth after winning twice at Kempton this spring. He was a very impressive winner over Brave Echo off a mark of 82 before defying a 9lbs rise in April. He beat Outback Traveller by a head and that horse is only 1lb better off on Saturday. That was a fine seasonal debut for Jeremy Noseda’s son of Bushranger and he won by seven lengths here in October. He is now a stone higher in the handicap but has to be a contender.

Russian Realm is an interesting runner here for David O’Meara having previously been trained by Sir Michael Stoute. He won well in soft ground at Goodwood last May but never really went on from there. The change of scenery may bring about some improvement and Richard Hughes is an eye-catching jockey booking.

William Haggas is always to be feared in these big handicaps and he saddles the lightly raced Dream Spirit. He beat Maverick Wave at Newmarket last August but was beaten at the same track next time and was third to Mooharib at Pontefract.

Emell @25-1 Ladbrokes

Dream Spirit @14-1 Ladbrokes

¼ odds, 1,2,3,4,5

Newbury Saturday Preview

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Newbury stages a terrific card on Saturday with trials for the 1000 and 2000 Guineas. The Greenham looks every bit as good as in recent years in which it has been won by the likes of Frankel and Kingman. We have previewed the race separately and sided with Belardo as the value bet against Ivawood.

Richard Hannon could end the day with four classic trials winners in a week following the victories of Kool Kompany and Osaila. He saddles Tiggy Wiggy in the seven-furlong Fred Darling Stakes. She was so good over six furlongs as a two-year-old that there is a feeling that she will ultimately prove to be a sprinter. Many Lowther and Cheveley Park Stakes winners in the past have gone down that route and we will know a lot more after Saturday’s race.

Strictly on the form, she cannot really get beaten. She has over a stone in hand on her rivals and she should get seven furlongs, if not the mile.

The opening race on the card is a fascinating mile and a quarter handicap with a huge field including three unexposed horses. The pick of them could be John Gosden’s Mahsoob who won nicely at Kempton on the all-weather on his only start as a three-year-old. He has a very wide draw in nineteen so he will have to go around his field under Paul Hanagan. Others to note are Luca Cumani’s Lunasea and Andrew Balding’s Field Of Fame.

Romsdal should take another step towards the top middle-distance prizes in the John Porter Stakes at 1.45. He was placed in both the Derby and the St Leger last season and looked good on his comeback at Kempton. Windshear was less impressive on his seasonal debut while Arab Spring may just need the run to put him straight.

By far the most competitive race on the card is the Spring Cup at 3.25 but I am keen on the chances of Buckstay for Peter Chapple-Hyam. I fancied him each-way for the Lincoln but he missed the cut and ran in the Spring Mile instead. He nearly gained handsome consolation but was run down by the impressive Chatez in the closing stages.

That looked like an exceptional performance by the winner and Buckstay should go close here. He is up against Lincoln winner Gabrial who is up 6lbs and is drawn close by.

Mahsoob 1.15 @4-1 Bet365

Romsdal 1.45 @15-8 Bet365

Tiggy Wiggy 2.15 @Evens Totesport

Belardo 2.50 @6-1 Bet365

Buckstay 3.25 @8-1 Bet365

Greenham Stakes Preview

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Saturday’s Group 3 Greenham Stakes looks a very high quality renewal and looks certain to have an impact on the ante-post market for the 2000 Guineas.

Richard Hannon’s Ivawood is a surprisingly short-priced favourite, although the yard have already won two Guineas trials this week. Ivawood suffered his first defeat when surprisingly beaten by Charming Thought at Newmarket in soft ground in October. He had looked a real Guineas prospect when winning impressively in the Group 2 Richmond Stakes at Goodwood. If the defeat was purely down to the ground, he will be the one to beat but he is tackling seven furlongs for the first time.

Ivawood is not the highest rated in this field with that honour going to Dewhurst Stakes winner Belardo. Roger Varian’s colt produced a shock when beating Kodi Bear by two lengths at Newmarket in a first-time hood. Interestingly, there is no sign of the headgear on Saturday as he makes his first start in the blue of Godolphin.

He had been disappointing in the July Stakes when drawn poorly and again at Doncaster in September in the Champagne Stakes. Clearly connections felt that he was capable of better and the hood seemed to work the oracle. He reversed Champagne form with Estidhkaar at Newmarket and it remains to be seen whether the softer ground was key to his improvement.

Aidan O’Brien sends over Dick Whittington and a victory for the son of Rip Van Winkle would boost the case of Gleneagles in the Guineas. His case has been strengthened by the Craven Stakes winner Kool Kompany. Dick Whittington beat the Hannon colt by half a length at the Curragh in August. He was a beaten favourite at Royal Ascot in June on his only previous start at seven furlongs.

Toocoolforschool turned the Mill Reef Stakes into a procession when beating Growl by seven lengths. He had previously been beaten half a length by Nafaqa at Doncaster in a Listed race over seven furlongs. Karl Burke’s gelding made all when winning the Mill Reef and it would be no surprise to see him bowling along in front again here.

Flaming Spear was backed as if defeat was out of the question on his debut for Kevin Ryan and duly obliged at York. This is a huge step up in class for the son of Lope De Vega while Fannaan is unbeaten in two races for John Gosden. He beat the reluctant Hawkesbury at Newmarket in October and could yet represent Gosden in the Guineas following the defeat of Faydhan in midweek.

Belardo @6-1 Paddy Power

Goodwood Tuesday Preview

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All of our selections ran well on Saturday with two winners and a place to keep us narrowly ahead on the day. The low draw system at Chester seldom lets you down and B Fifty Two (tipped at 5-1) and Dungannon (tipped each-way at 10-1) gave us a sprint 1-2.

Goodwood provides the main action on Tuesday and we have a tip for all seven races. The action kicks off at 2.20 and this looks booked for the familiar combination of Richard Hannon and Richard Hughes with Mystic Jade. She ran a race full of promise on her debut here and should appreciate the step up to a mile.

The three-year-old maiden is slightly trickier to call with the yards of Haggas, Gosden and Varian all represented. I am just siding with Soviet Courage and William Haggas as the first two pulled well clear last time he ran and that is always a good sign. Ryan Moore in the saddle is usually a good indicator that Haggas means business. Too The Stars is bred out of classic winners Sea The Stars and Finsceal Beo so she is going to be some addition to the paddocks when she breaks her maiden.

The nursery is one of the toughest races on the card but I’m sticking with Flash Fire having supported him in his maiden race last time. He may just have a little bit more scope than some of the exposed types in this race. The Conditions race can go the way of Godolphin courtesy of Good Contact. He was not particularly impressive when landing the odds last time but the Newmarket he finished second in previously was probably the best maiden race this season.

Moore will be expected to boot home Dolphin Village in the two-mile handicap after a fine run at York’s Ebor meeting but he is stepping up half a mile. I was impressed by the amount of ground Spice Fair made up last time and I think he could possibly outstay the favourite.

If Moore has already rewarded his followers by the time they come to the sprint handicap at 5.10, they will be lumping on the speedy Inciting Incident. A favourable draw and give in the ground will make him hard to beat but I just feel that Dilgura has more potential. She goes well fresh and looks better value, providing the going doesn’t deteriorate.

The last race looks like a battle between Hughes on Last Minute Lisa and Cam Hardie on Hallingham. I think Hughes may just be able to get a little more out of his mount as Hallingham can look a little reluctant at times.

2.20 Mystic Jade

2.55 Soviet Courage

3.30 Flash Fire @5-2 Bet365

4.05 Good Contact @5-2 Paddy Power

4.40 Spice Fair @9-2 Paddy Power

5.10 Dilgura @13-2 Paddy Power

5.40 Last Minute Lisa @4-1 Bet365

Salisbury Wednesday Preview

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Salisbury must be one of the most pleasant racecourses in the UK and Wednesday’s card is the highlight of the season with the Listed Upavon Stakes.

The one I like here is Richard Hannon’s Lustrous who finished strongly to take second to Bracelet in the Ribblesdale at Royal Ascot. That form entitles her to start favourite here but she has since run poorly in Ireland and was only fifth at Goodwood.

I am prepared to overlook the Irish Oaks form as you sometimes get horses that just don’t travel well but I am a little concerned by her Goodwood defeat. There are a whole host of promising fillies in this race including the unbeaten My Spirit and the rapidly improving Kleo. Both should run well along with Godolphin’s Tearless who already has a comfortable course and distance win to her credit.

Richard Hughes won’t be keeping the video of the ride he gave When Will It End at Goodwood in his archive. Every gap he went for seemed to close immediately and he can be counted an unlucky loser. He is 4lbs better off with the winner Grigolo but that need not necessarily guarantee that he will reverse the form. Mark Johnston’s horse was not stopping in front and it should be close between the pair. However, I am hoping that Sir Michael Stoute’s Darshini can beat them both.

He made the running at Sandown last time out and Ryan Moore looked to have kept a little up his sleeve. The bare form isn’t outstanding but he can lead his rivals a merry dance here.

The same combination should be back in the winner’s enclosure half an hour later with Tercel. The gelding won nicely at Sandown, this time with Moore arriving late on the scene. He did not really have to ask for everything that day and there is plenty of room for improvement. Potentate looks the obvious danger for the Hannon and Hughes team.

Moore can make it three for the day when he partners Luca Cumani’s Petticoat lane in the 4.30. The daughter of High Chaparral ought to have won at Sandown last time out but was blocked in her run up the rail and had to switch to the outside. Although only fourth of five, she was beaten less than two lengths by the winner and can make amends.

Darshini 2.50 Salisbury at 5-4 Paddy Power

Tercel 3.25 Salisbury at 6-4 Paddy Power

Lustrous 3.55 Salisbury at 11-1 Bet Victor Non-runner

Kleo 3.55 Salisbury at 15-2 Sportingbet (each-way)

Petticoat Lane 4.30 Salisbury at 9-4 Paddy Power