Tag: William Buick

Newmarket Saturday Preview

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Things have been very quiet on the racing front this week following Royal Ascot but the Irish Derby and some excellent action from Newcastle and Newmarket should bring some entertainment. Punters could do with a break from all of the amateur dramatics from the World Cup!

Ryan Moore and William Buick dominated proceedings at Royal Ascot and it would be no surprise to see them both among the winners on Saturday. Moore has a full book of rides and is employed by seven different trainers while Buick is kept busy by the powerful Gosden and Appleby yards.

There are some speedy fillies in the Listed two-year-old race at 2.20 with Moore riding Tigrilla for Roger Varian. The favourite will be Littlemissblakeney who was fifth in the Queen Mary but Zeb Un Misa and Accipiter also look smart. Moore’s mount is just preferred after travelling nicely last time out at Haydock.

Unless the rains arrive, I think Battalion will be taken out of the Fred Archer Stakes which would leave the way clear for Gatewood and Buick. The six-year-old has done well to get back on track after his abortive attempt at the Melbourne Cup and could have the class to defy his 3lbs penalty.

Richard Fahey has finally resorted to blinkers for Gatewood in the Group 3 Criterion Stakes and it remains to be seen if that makes life any easier for his jockey. Moore managed to get him home at Goodwood last season and this should be the right trip. Gregorian probably needed his run at Epsom last time and could be yet another for Gosden.

Manderley looks difficult to oppose in the Listed Eternal Stakes having followed up her fourth in the 1000 Guineas with an effortless win in maiden company. Gosden and Buick have another fine chance with Seagull in the 4.40. She won over a mile and a quarter and was always going to find it tough dropping back to a mile last time. She did well to finish second and should relish going up to a mile and a half on Saturday.

Llanarmon Lad struggled with the camber at Epsom last time but finished strongly to be second to Abseil. Kieren Fallon did the pushing that day and Ryan Moore takes over in the 5.15 here. Most of the opposition have been running below par recently and Llanarmon Lad can go one better.

Tigrilla 2.20  at 100-30 BetVictor

Gatewood 2.55 at 4-1 BetVictor, Paddy Power

Gregorian 3.30 at 11-2 William Hill

Manderley 4.05 at 11-4 BetVictor

Seagull 4.40 at 15-8 Bet365

Llanarmon Lad 5.15 at 7-2 BetVictor, Coral

Nottingham Saturday Preview

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I cannot remember the last time that I was left so completely bemused by Saturday’s televised racing! We have an odd mixture of All-weather racing from Kempton and some packed National Hunt fields at Haydock. The jumps racing is at that odd time of season where the going has changed and everyone is trying to get a race into their horses before the summer.

Friday’s All-weather Championship at Lingfield was a great success, not least for our followers with three winners courtesy of Ertijaal, Captain Cat and Grandeur. Only the well-backed Valbchek let us down but I had my suspicions that I ought not to be trying to untangle that particular sprint. The programmers made a big fuss of launching the new meeting on Good Friday but I’d suggest they switch it to Saturday next year to replace the moderate stuff we have on offer tomorrow.

The Newmarket Craven meeting served to remind us once again that, if in doubt, back John Gosden’s horses. He was not quite able to match his magnificent seven from Newbury last weekend but he served up three more well-backed winners. Hopefully a few of you were on the Provident Spirit/Munjaz double on Wednesday.

Tomorrow he saddles four horses, all on the turf at Nottingham. Two of them are in the same race but the form suggests that it is safe to exclude Seagull from our calculations and look for a treble with the remainder.

Paul Hanagan (I shall resist the temptation to join the band wagon slating him for his ride on Aljamaaheer) partners Zerfaal, a twice-raced son of Dubawi. He was a fair sixth on his debut at Newbury when strongly fancied last August. He was then made favourite at Kempton last month but found Crystal Lake too good. He was given a bit to do that day and has a decent chance to go one better here.

William Buick is aboard Gilbey’s Mate in the 6.45, a handicap over a mile. He ran in some smart maiden company last season. If you look at the form of his Newmarket debut he sounds like a good thing. Oustrip beat True Story with Sudden Wonder in fourth. All three are owned by Godolphin and have classic entries, the last two of them having won at Newmarket in midweek.

Court Room has been placed twice in Lingfield maidens and is the best of those with previous form. There may well be something to beat him with the likes of Stoute and Bin Suroor in opposition but we’ll go with the Gosden factor. Seagull is by Sea The Stars out of an Indian Ridge mare but I’m hoping that Buick’s decision to stick with Court Room is significant.

Zerfaal 4.45

Gilbey’s Mate 6.45 at 7-2 Bet365, Paddy Power

Court Room 7.15

Kempton Thursday Preview

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The flat turf season may be over until March but there are still some interesting betting opportunities on the all-weather. This surface is no longer reserved exclusively for the low grade horses and the top trainers are happy to run their late developing horses on it through the winter.

A case in point could be Jeremy Noseda’s three-year-old filly Havelovewilltravel who runs under a 6lbs penalty in the 5.50 on Thursday. The daughter of Holy Roman Emperor did not appear until the end of September when just getting the better of Checkpoint over a mile under Ryan Moore at this venue. She must have been showing something at home because she was sent off the 5-2 favourite and was confidently ridden, swooping late from off the pace to win by a head.

The runner-up won his next race by seven lengths, admittedly only a claimer, whilst the third also won next time out and the fourth was just beaten here last month. The handicapper took a chance by putting Havelovewilltravel on a mark of 65 for her next race, again over a mile at Kempton. She was well supported into 2-1 favourite but things did not go to plan under William Buick. She was slowly away and slightly hampered early on and could not get to Diplomatic despite coming home strongly.

Diplomatic came out and won again here and was unlucky not to complete a hat-trick when second to Sugarformyhoney on Monday. Havelovewilltravel came back here to win off the same mark of 65 last week and was most impressive. Once again she was dropped to the rear by Buick but she picked the field up easily between the three furlong and two furlong marker before stretching clear to win by six lengths. I am sure that the handicapper would like to have reassessed her a lot higher than her 6lbs penalty and it will be disappointing if she cannot win off this mark.

Anything trained by William Haggas has to be considered these days and Araqella could give the favourite most to do. She also looks well treated on her earlier form but disappointed at Wolverhampton last time out. The consistent Lady Sylvia and Wakeup Little Suzy will be thereabouts but I’m confident that Buick can deliver Havelovewilltravel late on to take the spoils.

Havelovewilltravel 6-4 Bet365

Horse Racing Preview 25th October

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The curtain may be coming down on the flat turf season but there are still some good quality cards on offer this weekend at Doncaster and Newbury. Although the going will be on the slow side, both courses are flat galloping tracks with very few hard luck stories for beaten horses.

I recently tipped Richard Hannon’s Tea In Transvaal despite the fact that she was still a maiden after four attempts and she bolted up by six lengths. The same colours are carried tomorrow by Bon Voyage who has been beaten in all four starts to date and I am anticipating a similar result. The stable have always held this colt in high regard and he has been battling away well in valuable sales races. He will find Friday’s company a lot easier to deal with and should represent value at odds of around even money.

Betting in handicaps at this time of year is a risky business but there are some tempting propositions at both flat meetings. The Artsign Handicap at 4.20 features three progressive types in Zain Eagle, Ajman Bridge and Squire Osbaldeston. Zain Eagle cruised home at Doncaster before flopping at Chester under a big weight whilst Ajman Bridge was slightly disappointing at Newmarket last time out. Preference is for Squire Osbaldeston who won comfortably at Lingfield and has the scope to make a group horse next season. I don’t expect the 4-1 with Ladbrokes to last too long.

My bet of the day at Newbury is John Gosden’s sprinter Blessington who put up a promising seasonal debut when second to Intibaah at Ascot. He was racing off a light weight that day but beat off some seasoned campaigners and must have every chance of going one better on Friday. William Buick is in the saddle and he should pick up this prize on the way to better things next season.

It promises to be an exciting weekend with The Racing Post Trophy at Doncaster and The Cox Plate in Australia.

(Doncaster) 2.40 Bon Voyage

(Doncaster) 4.20 Squire Osbaldeston 4-1 Ladbrokes

(Newbury) 5.10 Blessington 5-4 Coral

Kempton Thursday Preview

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Volume (9-4) did the business for us yesterday at Nottingham after a good tussle with Gold Trail. The pair drew well clear of the third so they should both make up into decent three-year-olds.

I’m switching to the all-weather tomorrow for the nap selection with Much Promise in the 6.10 race at Kempton. This John Gosden-trained filly lived up to her name on her debut at Lingfield when second to the useful Along Again. The winner was well backed in the Princess Margaret Stakes at Ascot and was far from disgraced in third.

Not surprisingly, Much Promise was sent off favourite for her next race at Goodwood but things did not go to plan. Having raced keenly up front, she started to hang between the two-furlong and furlong marker and eventually Buick had to give up the ghost and let her finish in her own time, a disappointing ninth. The race was won by Valonia who has since been purchased by Qatar Racing and the form of the race could hardly have worked out better.

Remarkably, the next six horses home have all won since. They include Roger Charlton’s Stars Above Me, Clive Brittain’s Aqlaam Vision and Charlie Hills’ Coral Mist. My regular readers will know that Coral Mist has been a good friend to this column by landing two winning bets including a valuable race at Ayr last time out.

At the risk of over-egging the pudding, the tenth home Arranger has also won whilst eleventh was Fashion Fund who has run three cracking races subsequently. Valonia also hung across the course slightly and it was probably just the inexperience when passing the crowd in front of the stands that started the wayward manoeuvre. Much Promise may also have been inconvenienced by the good to soft going that day and I’m optimistic that she won’t repeat her swerve on Thursday.

The biggest danger has to be Mick Channon’s Isabella Bird who was fourth on her debut at Newbury. Amazing Mariah was not far in front of her that day and natural improvement will make her a big threat. Richard Hannon’s Magnus Maximus showed promise first time out but floundered in the heavy ground at Salisbury whilst Secret Hint is an unknown quantity.

Much Promise 6.10 Kempton

Warwick Thursday Preview

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Nabucco (tipped at 5-2) romped home by six lengths in the mud at Salisbury yesterday to kick off the week in style. The same combination of John Gosden and William Buick can follow up on Thursday with Willow Beck in the 4.40 at Warwick.

This tough and consistent filly chalked up a hat-trick of wins but has been beaten in her last two starts. She must have been a good thing off a mark of 65 at Yarmouth in July when she began her winning sequence and tomorrow she races off an all-time high of 88. It may seem strange to be tipping a filly that has been beaten in her last two handicaps but her last run suggests that there could still be more to come.

She had to be niggled along to get to the front approaching the final furlong and looked for a long time as though she would hang on. She was eventually beaten into third by Phaenomena and Astonishing, beaten a length and a half. The runner-up came out and landed a mighty gamble at Newmarket last week, winning a Listed race by seven lengths! I had fancied Gosden’s Phiz for that race after her fine run behind The Lark at Doncaster but she was left trailing by Sir Michael Stoute’s filly.

Of course it can be dangerous to take the form too literally but there is every chance that Willow Beck was up against a couple of Group class fillies at Newmarket and she’s worth a bet at 4-1.

Buick has a good chance of landing the Nursery at 2.40 when he partners Outback Traveller* for Jeremy Noseda. A mark of 75 does not look prohibitive for the son of Bushranger after making all in his maiden at Lingfield. The runner-up has run respectably in maiden company since and the extra furlong should see further improvement.

The draw is a slight concern but he popped out quickly last time and Buick shouldn’t have too much difficulty getting him up behind the leaders early on. There has been plenty of rain around over the past few days but Warwick seems to have escaped most of it with the going reportedly still good to firm. That should suit both selections perfectly and hopefully young Buick can steer home a double.

Outback Traveller 2.40 (4-1 Bet365, BetVictor) *Non-Runner

Willow Beck 4.40 (4-1 Paddy Power)