‘You’re nearer to heaven in a garden, than anywhere else on earth’ and my agricultural experience has been gained in our relatively small acreage where I labour and ponder why, for instance, clerks of courses abuse pristine turf race tracks by over-watering at a time when growth is minimal due to cold weather; last week a meeting was abandoned on account of flooded bare patches due to irresponsible ‘management’ which compromised the condition considerably.
A female ‘clerk’ had the temerity to brazenly explain her concentrated watering policy which, apparently, had been incessant for ten successive days!
Over past decades too many wonderful racecourses have been absolutely ruined by saturation, enabling the ‘root’ cause to surface dramatically; I’m running out of space detailing the venues suffice to say the only track where I’m confident of the ground forecast is Bath, where there isn’t a watering system!
As a serious professional journalist/bettor way back, before dedicating experience to readers/punters, my sole reason for writing nowadays, I visited/walked every track and knew the character of them all; draw, undulations, track bias, etc but due to aforementioned problems began to get disillusioned by results.
My observation resulted in the obvious, even at Newmarket where today Delta Bay is ‘head ‘n shoulders’ superior to the rest, on my time-handicap, for an ten-runner Maiden Fillies’ Stakes over the famous Rowley Mile on a forecast ‘good’ surface. Race-times will determine whether that’s correct.
Several months ago Delta Bay achieved a useful mark when finishing second on a grade one track first-up; John Gosden’s runner is mount of fifty-something Frankie Dettori!
Age is a big factor, especially during a sub-zero April when ‘revving up’ represents getting motivated but the old boy is as fit and positive as ever; Delta Bay is a ‘nailed on’ each-way proposition which can be played into recent unchallenged Southwell winner, If You Dare, in the Novice Stakes over six furlongs at Kempton.
Mark Johnston’s runner, drawn best, is penalised 5lbs but ‘achieved’ big-style when winning by six lengths and this is just a question of fibresand form being replicated on polytrack.
I’m more confident with AWR racing and reckon Sir Michael Stoute’s once-raced Ransom justifies support in a Novice Stakes over seven furlongs.
Incidentally at Windsor, Monday, the course was watered; heaven forbid!
Selections, Newmarket, 4.10 Delta Bay (e.w); Kempton, 5.45 If You Dare; 6.15 Ransom.
Jeffrey Ross, horse-racing correspondent for WMN since 1983 when winning the most prestigious racing journalist award, Sporting Life Naps Table, before winning it a record number of six times collectively in the Racing Post, the current ‘trade’ paper, including 2019