Dion Baker achieved a time-handicap debut mark over a similar distance three months ago which wins the seven furlongs Novice Stakes on Newcastle tapeta today nine times out of ten; trainer Kevin Ryan apparently has the Ribchester gelding in grand form according to reports and has booked experienced Northern-based Paul Mulrennan for the task of defeating eight rivals, four of which, significantly, are unraced.
On the back of his Doncaster effort under Tom Eaves when fifth (of 15!), to heavily-backed favourite Jimi Hendrix, my selection will be in several notebooks logged ‘next time’ and I’ll certainly be most interested to see early betting shows for Dion Baker. They will be influenced by any confidence in much-vaunted Hugo Palmer-trained How Impressive and a couple others from respected yards.
Good betting propositions are a rarity despite what you may think; recognising them from experience is the easy part and realistically I’ll be surprised if a replication doesn’t justify ‘Mul’ steering Dion Baker into the winners’ enclosure before being subjected to yet another inane post-race interview.
They achieve nothing, jockeys certainly don’t want or need to be confronted immediately afterwards in front of cameras and Ryan Moore has voiced his discontent repeatedly. Recently he was videod running away from a persistent interviewer who chased him in vain to the weighing room!
Earlier previous coure winner Vertice is an interesting ‘dec’ for division one of the Classified Stakes over ten furlongs under apprentice Gianluca Sanna who scored on David Thompson’s charge over a quarter of a mile further back in October.
On BHA ratings, and the TH, Vertice is unopposable, especially with Sanna’s allowance equating to at least three lengths by my reckoning.
These set-weight ‘Classified’ races are invariably tremendous betting mediums and similarly-profiled One Punch Terri also looks gilt-edged in division two under another burgeoning apprentice, Ryan Sexton, claiming 7lbs.
Delving deep is the key to unearthing gems and I’ll be playing an each-way trixie/patent with a deal of confidence. Perhaps I’ll be able to afford a geiger-counter!
Hope you managed to oppose odds-on Chelsea, held to a draw by Brighton in the Premier League Tuesday night; but for horse-racing I’d be a full-time professional laying such ‘shorties’ on a regular basis as they are a licence to print money!
Keep watching out for any NH twitter tips on @ossracing1
Selections, Newcastle, 3.25 Vertice (e.w); 3.55 One Punch Terri (e.w); 6.30 Dion Baker (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