Super Over and Smart Start, drawn one/two respectively, look set to fight out a fourteen-runner Novice Stakes over seven furlongs of Kempton polytrack today, the obligatory ‘Wednesday-nighter’ promises to be quite dramatic with this ‘dash round the bend’ a feature of proceedings; preference is for the former, there are several reasons.
Hollie Doyle’s twice-raced mount, now sporting headgear, will have edge of experience, was runner-up again under the ‘pocket rocket’ over this distance at Redcar last month (when heavily-backed odds-on favourite!) and should have an edge in fitness because the Saeed bin Suroor-trained, Godolphin-owned Teofilo colt, a late foal, hasn’t raced since making a satisfactory course and distance debut more than six months ago. Likelihood is he’s been been given time to mature.
Smart Start is unlikely to live up to his name with Hollie almost certain to ‘do him’ for toe early on which could mean Pat Cosgrave will be stuck inside through lack of experience; that’s my theory and I’ll bet on it.
Another with similar, useful TH form, El Picaro, has drawn the outside ‘coffin box’ (right next to the car park!) and it would take a miracle from there, if indeed there is any urgency. There wouldn’t be if he were mine and that’s being brutally honest; fourteen is too many and withdrawal wouldn’t come as a surprise.
York was profitable last week and this column remains in good form, even though three losing naps have been registered on the trot, two were extremely unlucky; this is a tough game, it would tame lions but my routine modus operandi will be maintained with strong emphasis on a daily computed time-handicap, jockeyship and other factors, such as draw positions; they are crucial.
My absolute speciality, two-year-old racing, has yielded winning naps from both selections, Nymphadora and Desert Dreamer, but it’s too early for serious ‘full blown’ intervention and juveniles are now being asked to race six furlongs which makes them tricky; so many thoroughbreds are backward, like my garden and like I always say, ‘all in good time!’
Be patient but always be ready, we never know when the next chance will present itself; preferably right in the goal mouth which I frequented for years, as a teenager!
All selections are capable of winning and are worth following even though often they might appear ludicrously ubiquitous, like once-raced Mick’s Spirit in a weak-looking Median Auction Maiden Stakes over six furlongs at Yarmouth. He’s thrived recently.
Just stick rigidly to my operation, and win monthly, my ultimate objective..
Newmarket, Warwick, 4.00 Killaro Boy (e.w); Yarmouth, 4.10 Mick’s Spirit (e.w); Kempton, 6.35 Super Over (e.w).
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