Power Of Beauty should be in evidence tonight when the Hugo Palmer-trained Slade Power colt contests division one of a Maiden Stakes over seven furlongs of Wolverhampton tapeta, also the surface at Newcastle where Michael Dickinson’s creation is being laid next month on the superb left-handed galloping racetrack of Southwell. Fibresand is being replaced after thirty-two years.
That’s sad but the ‘deep stuff’ has indeed passed it’s ‘sell by date’ and the new innovation could result in ‘Internationalism’ at the Nottinghamshire circuit where magnificent floodlighting was instituted during 2019; ambitious plans are the future for a small course which received praise from Aidan O’Brien a few years ago when he sent a batch to canter in preparation for the USA Breeders’ Cup. You can bet ‘the maestro’ is delighted with news of its impending change and will patronize the Midlands all-weather ‘jewel’ with a clutch of ‘super-breds!.
Exciting times indeed but, in the meantime I’ll be concentrating on the other five AWR venues; Dunstall Park is a real ‘favourite’ and Power Of Beauty is my confident selection on the back of a promising debut over a similar distance at ‘good’ Beverley three weeks ago.
Second to Dark Moon Rising, beaten half a length, with hot favourite Mr Coalville about four lengths away in third, reads well; my time-handicap indicates Power Of Beauty, backed into 5/2 on the back of promising preparatory ‘home-work’ on Newmarket gallops, represents a solid betting proposition, even though he’ll face several fancied rivals. What beats him will win and Louis Steward will win and confidence is high for Pat Cosgrave’s mount War Brave in division two.
Thrice-raced War Brave has twice achieved useful TH marks around Chester over six furlongs which represents a stamina test on a track where there is no hiding place with fast pace invariably a factor; interestingly those races, respectively, were class two and four but today is class 6!
Great emphasis is placed on classification which my mentor (fifty years ago!) Albert Randall stated, categorically, is ‘the key to race-form with horse-racing and greyhounds!’
An outstanding time-expert, Albert died the year before I won the Sporting Chronicle Naps Table Championship for the first time. He would have been so proud, sorry I’m tearful!
We seem to be back ‘in the groove’ without pulling up any trees but a tremendous period of quality flat-racing beckons and I’ll be scrutinising fastidiously!
incidentally remember this ‘par’ yesterday… consistent, hitherto luckless 70-rated Vandad looks a ‘special’ for the Median Auction Stakes over five furlongs of ‘good to soft’ Brighton, absolutely ‘cert’ on my figures but he has been before and so, will it be EIGHTEENTH time lucky?
Vandad won unchallenged, patience, eh?
Selections, Yarmouth, 5.30 Josie’s Kid (e.w); Wolverhampton, 6.15 Power Of Beauty; 6.45 War Brave.
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