Wholeofthemoon achieved enough on debut over a mile of Goodwood fifty-two days to justify each-way interest in the ten-runner Maiden Stakes over ten furlongs of ‘soft’ ground Newmarket this afternoon when an eight-race programme contains SEVEN two-year-old races!
There is only one place in the world I’d love to be obviously but I’ll witness all action on 50″ screens and every thoroughbred will be monitored fastidiously; racing at HQ is still ‘special’ and always will be, especially where juveniles are concerned.
Age and traffic congestion are the reasons why it’s totally impracticable to attend those magical racetrack venues nowadays but, as I’ve mentioned so often, more time gives me the chance to compute times to my ultimate satisfaction; these winners are the result of total dedication and all YOU need to do is ‘click on’ and go to work, or wherever!
Trust is a vital factor, you can guarantee consistency is my objective; being involved with ‘live’ selections, which constantly give you a ‘run for your money’, is surely more exciting and preferable than guessing names, following favourite jockeys or ’tilting at windmills’ in difficult to solve handicaps.
For decades I’ve appreciated the wisdom of specialising with set-weights races, mainly two-year-olds and novice hurdles over jumps; it’s an area which yields profit because so often I’m able to apply a process of elimination modus operandi. For example Wholeofthemoon has few rivals and trainer Richard Hughes, like his famous late father, Dessie, is another who thrives on hard work and 100% application.
Median requirement at Newmarket has to be respected and Wholeofthemoon is on the periphery of what is needed; the Zoffany gelding shaped well under Pat Dobbs and the dual-champion jockey has booked his old sparring partner Ryan Moore!
Jockeyship and experience are a deadly combination when sallying forth in the battle against bookies and my time-handicap so often proves the icing on the cake; it also pinpoints Moore’s mount Wind Your Neck In for a nine-runner nursery over the unique straight mile and a quarter.
Ryan was very impressed with David Evans’ charge, tipped confidently in this column when scoring unchallenged at Salisbury three weeks ago over a mile on an easy surface; don’t oppose!
Jen’s Gift is a long time winning but could well make it sixth time lucky in a weak second division of the Filles’ Novice Stakes over seven furlongs of Kempton polytrack tonight.
Selections, Newmarket, 2.40 Wholeofthemoon (e.w); 3.15 Wind Your Neck In (e.w); Kempton, 6.30 Jen’s Gift (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