Thefastncurious (28/1, from 50’s) was our narrowly-beaten each-way second last night at Windsor, thus supplementing earlier gains from our heavily-backed winning nap SILKEN PEARLS on which veteran female jockey, Hayley Turner, was absolutely superb and ‘made a difference’ as they say. We are ntering what is often a ‘golden’ period.
Sweeping, rated 96, represents an ‘official’ certainty for a Maiden Stakes over seven furlongs of ‘good to soft’ Catterick today when Northern-based Paul Mulrennan takes the reins aboard Archie Watson’s thrice-raced charge; none of nine rivals can possibly beat this Siyouini colt and doubtless will not be trying to!
I’ve been compiling, computing, a two-year-old time-handicap for 60% of my life but I’ve never come across such an incredible situation!
Three runs are necessary to run in handicaps and Sweeping is therefore qualified to contest one; what a joke given such an exalted mark on the back of useful (unplaced!) front-running efforts under Hollie Doyle at high-profile racetracks.
Sweeping is the worst handicapped thoroughbred I’ve ever known, at least 12lbs too high, and I’d like to know how the BHA handicapping system arrived at such a mind-boggling slot.
Mine however is not to wonder, just alert readers to obviousness but, just imagine any trainer allowing his runner to challenge Sweeping knowing what it would entail, a ludicrously high, unworkable rating.
‘Ride for a place’ would be my instruction but don’t get anywhere near Sweeping!
Of considerable interest will be the ‘body language’ of those chasing Mulrennan, who will definitely be told to sort out the wheat from the chaff with positive tactics, and the starting price!
Rest of a seven-race card is ‘swerved’ with six handicaps and there are five more ‘bookmaker’s benefits’ tonight on Lingfield polytrack, which provides Adaay In Asia an excellent opportunity to supplement course and distance gains in the eight-runner Fillies’ Restricted Novice Stakes over six furlongs; championship-chasing Tom Marquand ‘gets the gig’ on Harry Dunlop’s runner which finished fifth (of 22!) in the Newbury Super Sprint last month under Silvestre de Souza. Solid, reliable form.
Always give a second glance to Harry, son of the late, great John Dunlop, a prolific Arundel-based ‘winning machine’ and a lovely person. How I miss ‘touching base’ with those outstanding trainers of yesteryear, in a male-dominated environment!
Running in tandem will be ‘good to soft’ Nottingham where Tom Dascombe-trained Skittlebombz is expected to make it third time lucky in the opening class 4 Novice Stakes over six furlongs; talented 5lbs apprentice Pierre-Louis Jamin has been booked by the in-form Cheshire-based shrewdie.
Selections, Catterick, 1.00 Sweeping; Nottingham, 5.20 Skittlebombz; Lingfield, 7.30 Adaay In Asia.
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