Golden Rainbow is a fascinating declaration for the £2862 Novice Stakes over five furlongs of Lingfield polytrack today; last month Archie Watson’s charge attempted what turned out to be an impossible debut mission at Brighton where Navello, arguably the best juvenile we’ve seen this season, defeated the Havana Gold colt by four lengths and the shudders of big-hitting punters reverberated throughout the English racing scene betting parlours.
There are no bookmakers on racecourses course anymore because crowds aren’t allowed due to the Covid-19 virus which has shattered confidence of millions and claimed a shocking number of lives; there is talk of some kind of ‘return to normality’ but the sudden spikes in various countries are a stark reminder this disease still can’t be underestimated despite massive vaccination programmes. Staying safe has been all about stern discipline and listening to the scientists, as far as I’ve been concerned for fifteen months.
Two-year-olds have always been my total obsession, no one knows what we aficionados are confronting and I could list an inventory which would just about fill a broadsheet newspaper, detailing shock juvenile results; Mill Reef, back in 1971, was odds-against to beat a heavily-punted odds-on chance.
Coincidentally Mill Reef, one of the true thoroughbred ‘greats’, was trained by Andrew Balding’s father, Ian, and I’ve read a book about the 1972 Epsom Derby winner; incredible!
Any once-raced Richard Hannon two-year-old always has to be respected; the Iffraaj filly Banner Moonshine, mount of Tom Marquand, could improve considerably from an outing at Salisbury last month but four others are newcomers squaring up to Golden Rainbow, my idea of an odds-against ‘special!’
Zuraig ticks enough boxes for a serious wager in the sixteen-runner Maiden Stakes over ten furlongs of Windsor where, following heavy rain(s) countrywide on Saturday, ‘soft’ ground is forecast; trained by Balding, who has booked champion jockey Oisin Murphy again, the Teofilo colt is a clear ‘best-in’ time-handicap selection on the strength of an encouraging debut three weeks ago and will certainly carry my ‘wedge’ if 2/1 or better.
Hannon’s twice-raced Remedium should certainly guarantee I’ll be facilitated.
Selections, Ffos Las, 1.00 Equus Dancer; Lingfield, 2.25 Golden Rainbow; Windsor, 7.30 Zuraig.
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