Sir Duke will definitely not be a surprise this afternoon if able to cause one in the eleven-runner Novice Stakes over seven furlongs of ‘good to soft’ Ascot ground which might be much better in the straight than most expect. Dries out very quickly.
Winners have also dried up for this columnist recently because so many turf racecourses are saturated due to bad weather and over-watering which must never be underestimated but, I’ve never been a quitter and intend pursuing my routine, business-like approach through thick and thin in pursuit of monthly profit; why change a successful format when it’s possible to determine diagnosis?
Although my brief is to produce a daily racing column for readers/punters it’s significant my own betting recently has been nigh on halted due to thrashing around in quicksand and finding myself sinking; ‘time’ to lay down and ease myself to dry land of all-weather racing and ‘summer-jumping’ when they return!.
On my time-handicap Sir Duke is worth chancing on the back of an encouraging first-up effort over six furlongs of Newcastle tapeta sixteen days ago when this Ivan Furtado-trained Swiss Spirit colt was a indeed a surprise 40/1 third to dead-heaters Boondoggle and Sharp Riposte, beaten about three lengths.
Furtado is a fine trainer, patient and meticulous; successful methodology has enabled him to plot some real significant ‘beauts’ and Sir Duke will almost certainly win a race, if not today!
When a thoroughbred has achieved a certain median requirement it’s guaranteed to be placed successfully unless trainer ‘displacement’ is a problem; for instance there are plenty who wouldn’t be able to place the last piece in a jigsaw but Ivan isn’t one; like Sir Mark Prescott, William Haggas, Andrew Balding and a few others this chap Furtado never wastes a race, my criteria when embroiled firmly in ownership and advising Robert Armstrong and Barry Hills for decades. Do I miss those days?
Of course but they’ve gone, the English racing scene nowadays bears no relation to yesteryear given more often than not 75% of racecards are cluttered with difficult handicaps, leaving punters with scraps to digest as a meal.
Sir Duke takes on a plethora of superbly-bred rivals from ‘fashionable’ yards, including six newcomers, but he’ll improve under ‘never-say-die’ Josephine Gordon and is certain to be ‘on the premises’ ready to deliver.
Unlucky ‘Coventry’ loser Dhabab will be strongly-fancied to recoup losses in the ‘Superlative’ at Newmarket but progressive, similarly-rated Great Max is a better proposition, price-wise, and I’m actually struggling for a third selection despite five meetings, littered with handicaps!
Turna is ‘best-in’ for a four-runner starter at ‘soft’ Chester and ready to win.
Selections, Chester, 1.30 Turna; Ascot, 1.50 Sir Duke (e.w); Newmarket, 3.15 Great Max (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