There’s flat and jumps action today, with Ayr’s Scottish National meeting and Chelmsford City stepping in to host Newbury’s abandoned Guineas Trials.
Whilst there’s not a lot of obvious value about the level-weights races, I reckon we can connect a quick-fire treble between the cards.
First up at Ayr, BRISTOL DE MAI, second in the JLT at Cheltenham, looks the class horse in the 14:25 novices’ chase.
The ground might have been too quick at Cheltenham and he made some uncharacteristic jumping errors, but with more ease in the ground today he should win this easily, and I don’t think his 5/4 price is anywhere near as short as it should be.
This is a multiple Grade 1 winner taking on handicappers off level weights, and if we excuse his last run – which was against far tougher opposition than today – he’s in the form of his life.
15 minutes later at Chelmsford, Ryan Moore takes the ride on the race-fit MARENKO, who won on the all-weather at Kempton recently and in doing so proved she handles the surface – this race was supposed to be run on turf at Newbury.
She’s no banker up against the classy Besharah, who on her two-year-old form would have the measure of all today’s opposition, but being the only horse to have had a run, having been drawn well in stall two and benefiting from Moore’s steering, she has a big chance.
Finally, only three remain in the Greenham Stakes, a race won by the mighty Frankel, Kingman and Muhaarar in recent years.
All are odds-against, but it’s LOG OUT ISLAND, like Marenko also trained by Richard Hannon, who looks the bet with some very useful two-year-old form in the book.
The handicapper rates him the exact same, 110, as his chief market rival Tasleet, yet he’s a slightly longer price in the market so there’s an obvious value angle.
However, the market uncertainty is likely to be down to him stepping up in trip, but he had no issues staying six furlongs last year and the all-weather is not going to ask too much of his stamina and he goes well fresh.
By Dark Angel, he has loads of pace, and if it turns into a sprint he’s well equipped to come out on top.
Each-way is not an option given the last leg only has three runners, and such are the claims of Bristol De Mai that we’ve got to have him in a single too.
1.5pt win Bristol De Mai @5/4, 14:25 Ayr
0.5pt treble Bristol De Mai (14:25 Ayr), Marenko (14:40 Chelmsford City), Log Out Island (15:15) @26/1 (Ladbrokes)