Amanda Hug’n’Kiss ticks enough big boxes for a sizable each-way bet in the 14-runner Fillies’ Novice Stakes over seven furlongs of Chelmsford polytrack this afternoon; it promises to be a real cracker, full of intrigue!
Experience is a major factor and ‘Amanda’, winner of one from six starts, should be able to utilise nous to advantage with only two realistic time-handicap dangers in opposition, one of them, Sid’s Annie, being drawn in the proverbial widest ‘coffin box!’
Last time out this Stuart Williams-trained Dabirsim filly achieved yet another useful mark over six furlongs of the Essex circuit when Champion Apprentice Marco Ghiani steered into second, three and a half lengths behind our winning 7/2 nap, Tippy Toes, with the rest a similar distance and upwards in arrears.
A replication of that effort will be good enough to achieve my main objective for the place ‘trixie’ which won more money for readers on Saturday with State Legend and Ansean Legend complimenting our star bet Amirat Alward (15/8) at odds of 15/2 and 15/8 respectively. Soon mounts up with a ‘biggie’ included and, hopefully, you enjoyed the return to all-weather racing which the BHA shelved all last week.
Incidentally the obvious danger to ‘Amanda’ is 87-rated Shouldavbeenmore, a Penny’s Picnic mare which is being journeyed from Richard Fahey’s Malton base; her last run represented a career-best time-figure over this distance around Chester but was thirteen weeks ago!
Rest of the card looks difficult but there are jumping fixtures scheduled for Ludlow and Ayr where we have a couple of tasty bets, Dan Skelton’s Rock Legend and Cancan one of thirteen ‘decs’ for a Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle over two miles of a forecast ‘good to soft’ surface.
Henry Brooke rides this consistent, hitherto luckless Al Namix five-year-old for Norman Alexander whose daughter Lucy must have retired following another bad injury earlier this year; so sad, such a talented jockey.
Rock Legend has only Stream Of Stars to beat in a shallow Maiden Hurdle over two miles.
Selections, Ayr, 12.30 Cancan (e.w); Ludlow, 12.50 Rock Legend (e.w); 4.00 Amanda Hug ‘n’ Kiss (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