SPANTIK, 13/2 Tuesday has to be described by myself as a ‘shot in the arm’ becasue I had my second Covid-19 jab earlier!
National Treasure and Yankee Stadium are set to stage a ‘battle of expensive rejects’ in an extremely weak ‘aged’ class 5 Novices’ Stakes over ten furlongs of ‘good to firm’ Beverley today; their five rivals have only raced four times between them (two over jumps!) and so experience will surely be a major factor when punters analyse prospects.
It’s 312 days since National Treasure, trained for Godolphin by Charlie Appleby at Newmarket, was odds-on and finished second to John Gosden’s Jane Marple over a mile and a half of the famous Cambridgeshire venue; this resulted in a BHA rating of 81, 5lbs more than Yankee Stadium, a Galileo juvenile which was housed in Ireland at the Ballydoyle complex of Aidan O’Brien!
Since being gelded and shipped to George Scott’s yard, a mile or so from Appleby’s lavish set-up, Yankee Stadium has flattered only to deceive, proving costly for bettors; his last effort, eleven weeks back, was most disappointing and my mental comment was ‘never again!’
Given National Treasure, by Camelot, is bred in the purple it’s imperative trainer Ben Haslam ekes out ‘winning brackets’ for stud purposes; at the moment she’s nigh on worthless, because there are thousands of maiden fillies around, but if successful the stud book would look vastly different in years to come.
Talk about being on a 100% trier jockey Paul Mulrennan will be given instructions by Ben along the lines, ‘just win!’
It’s a fascinating scenario and fifteen minutes later James Tate-trained Show Yourself will be on a similar urgent breeding mission in a nine-runner Maiden Stakes over six furlongs of Chelmsford polytrack; what beats this Acclamation filly will win and again the time-handicap marks are positive.
Several of my major betting triumphs have been at the lowest level, using the ‘process of elimination’ modus operandi.
Coincidentally both National Treasure and Show Yourself are advantaged by 5lbs fillies’ allowances!
Running in tandem will be a jumping fixture at Exeter where College Oak should be capable of defying penalties in the opening six-runner Novices’ Hurdle over two and three-quarter miles of a ‘good to firm’ surface; mount of Gavin Sheehan, few better!
Get ready for a frenetic half hour readers.
Selections, Wolverhampton, 5.00 National Treasure (e.w); Chelmsford, 5.15 Show Yourself; Exter, 5.25 College Oak.
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