Landermere provided a 22/1 shock first-up when beating our strongly-fancied ‘headline’ selection Parlando by a neck in Maiden Stakes over a mile of Kempton polytrack on Wednesday but a glance at the race time and subsequent computation left me completely and utterly bemused; I’ve never been a sore loser but this result took the biscuit and was indeed hard to digest!
Parlando looked a graded performer in waiting when making a winning debut over seven furlongs at Leicester last October when responding well to urgings of William Buick and win by a neck, posting a useful time-handicap mark.
As a consequence Charlie Appleby-trained Parlando was penalised and Landermere was drawn worst under Jack Mitchell who rates a serious contender for the Championship this year following a magnificent 2021 and brilliance in the first five weeks of this year.
Off what appeared a strong pace Parlando soon took issue and Landermere obviously knew his job, racing just behind the leading group; approaching the final furlong Tom Clover’s charge moved up to challenge and in a ding-dong finish prevailed by a neck in a time more than three seconds slower than 77-rated Global Acclaim in the next race.
They finished six lengths and upwards clear which usually denotes a strong pace that sorts out the wheat from the chaff; was the time right?
I’m still shaking my head and intend to closely monitor the next outings of Global Acclaim and short-head second, Arenas Del Tiempo.
This is what makes racing so exciting, the thrill of the chase and resulting complexities from an ordinary situation that no one else will care about one iota, until we strike!
Incidentally Landermere, a tongue-tied gelding obviously ‘got loose’ and given the Clover operation likes to have a punt Tom must have been extremely vexed to miss out.
We’re back to Southwell tapeta today when once-raced Ravenswing looks guaranteed to occupy one of three places in a shallow looking Maiden Stakes over a mile of the somewhat ubiquitous tapeta which, apparently, is needing ‘top up’ treatment following its replacement of fibresand three months ago.
Ravenswing ran a creditable fourth at Haydock 119 days ago since when Kevin Ryan’s charge has thrived and is worth noting; a danger has to be ex-Joseph O’Brien inmate De Vega’s Warrior, rated 85 and now with champion AWR trainer Mick Appleby. Irish ratings can be misleading but his participation adds spice.
Later Sir Henry Cotton, named after the late, great English golfer, is preferred to Dark Enchantment in a Maiden Stakes over seven furlongs and will form an each-way ‘trixie’ treble with Monte Igueldo in an eight-runner Novices’ Hurdle on ‘soft’ ground at Bangor.
Selections, Southwell, 1.35 Ravenswing (e.w); 3.55 Sir Henry Cotton (e.w); Bangor, 4.15 Monte Igueldo (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