Luxembourg was installed favourite for both the 2000 Guineas and Epsom Derby next year after hammering bookmakers by winning the two-year-old ‘Futurity’ over the straight ‘soft’ Doncaster mile last Saturday but Native Trail remains by best two-year-old of 2021; form lines and my time-handicap computation provide convincing data even though Aidan O’Brien’s charge achieved ‘top run’ on Town Moor under Ryan Moore who, apparently, was suitably impressed by the Camelot colt.
They are unbeaten in three races but Native Trail looked a ‘powerhouse’ when staying on strongly to land the group one ‘Dewhurst’ earlier this month on much faster ground; it’s not fair to decry Luxembourg however and on a better surface his superb action will doubtless be a major plus; so much to anticipate and next month the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile should be tremendous.
I’m always seeking perfection and went so close to achieving it when Bayside Boy was a somewhat unlucky close third to Luxembourg and another Irish raider, Sissoko; distances were one and three-quarters and a short head. Other selections, General Panic (11/2) and Flaming Rib (13/8), bolted in!
Bayside Boy, and David Egan, missed the vital break and was soon in rear, a minus on testing ground; two furlongs out Roger Varian’s charge began to take issue but didn’t obtain a clear run as Luxembourg stormed through to lead.
My gut feeling told me ‘this is wrong’ and Bayside Boy was indeed all over the place in the closing stages where he went left and lost second spot close home; it represented an unconvincing effort but I’m convinced placings could well be reversed next year. How many jockeys ride off the neck strap at the start?
Mine was to insist they did when one owned racehorses, which so often led to all-the-way successes; Moore would have suited my positivity along with Hollie Doyle and Hayley Turner. All have ‘good hands’ as they say, just watch replays if you get the chance.
In the meantime I’ve been wrestling with an eight-race all-weather programme on Newcastle tapeta which contains two interesting juvenile races and look within capabilities of progressive once-raced Million Thanks and consistent, hitherto luckless Raydoun respectively; both are tops on the TH and mounts of Kevin Stott, always a major plus.
Main ‘ingredients’ are always jockeyship, time-figures and a good draw but the last-named doesn’t apply at Gosforth Park, fairest track in the world, for punting!
regarding future managership of Manchester United surely there can’t possibly be a better, more suitable candidate than former player Michel Carrick, twelve years at Old Trafford before becoming coach alongside current manager. He’d be my choice!
Selections, Newcastle, Newcastle, 4.55 Desert Emperor (e.w); 6.00 Million Thanks; 6.30 Raydoun (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