Buoyant is being touted yet another Martyn Meade-trained two-year-old ‘special’ in the prestigious eleven-runner Crocker Bulteel Maiden Stakes over six furlongs of Ascot this afternoon and this once-raced Awtaad colt will be faced by much-chronicled Ehraz from the immensely-powerful Richard Hannon yard; both were placed and shaped really well first time out earlier this month and an intriguing clash is in prospect for juvenile aficionados.
The former finished third (of 8!) beaten half a length and a nose by Fast Response and El Bodegon, over a similar distance on ‘very soft’ Windsor eighteen days ago, and Ehraz stayed on strongly when only denied by two lengths over seven furlongs of the Newmarket July course, which is currently in use while the famous ‘Rowley Mile’ recuperates in readiness for the hectic Autumn schedule.
Heavily-backed Godolphin-owned Noble Truth justified favouritism in tremendous style but Ehraz beat eleven others and will doubtless be a deal sharper for the experience.
How is it possible to determine which is better from such contrasting efforts?
Majority of punters work out form lines, others rely on impression, information etc but I’ve long placed great reliance on a personally computed time-handicap which has provided an edge for decades, and is definitive.
Electrically-recorded race-times nowadays are extremely accurate and reliable whereas in the ‘golden olden’ days I took a stop-watch to racecourses more than two-hundred and fifty times a year in a quest for unique, exclusive information, and loved every minute. I’ve clocked some real ‘greats’ including Crisp on a foggy day at Wincanton in the depths of a cold winter. He won the Cheltenham Champion Chase less than a week later, by twenty-five lengths and my readers/punters were ‘on to a man!’
Based on actual time-figures Buoyant, mount of champion jockey, Oisin Murphy, suits this race ideally and, price-wise, is a serious place betting proposition, played into other selections for the each-way daily patent; it’s an outstanding punting ‘tool’ which bookmakers hated in the olden days with my battles against ‘the enemy’ but, nowadays, my play is on the Betfair Exchange platform where an ‘investment’ is never refused!
Hannon is ‘red hot’ in juvenile handicaps and Tyson looks set to administer a ‘knockout’ to seven rivals in an eight-runner nursery at Newmarket tonight when huge crowds are set to throng enclosures. Covid-19 hasn’t gone away!
Running in tandem will be York on a similar ‘good to firm’ surface which should suit strongly-fancied Silky Wilkie in a five-runner Novice Stakes over five furlongs.
Finding three, from dozens of races, hasn’t been easy which gives you an idea what punters are up against, without a time-handicap for guidance!
Selections, Ascot, 1.55 Buoyant (e.w); Newmarket, 6.22 Tyson (e.w); York, 7.00 Silky Wilkie (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