Friday, March 23, 2007

Newbury on Saturday


Cheltenham seems an age ago (see picture) and the Aintree Grand National meeting seems an age away. Traditionally this time of year sees press coverage swing towards the flat. The Winter Derby takes place at Lingfield tomorrow and The Lincoln Handicap, the first big turf flat race of the season, takes place at Newcastle next weekend.

Two mares from the north have caught my eye in the 2.55 at Newbury tomorrow. Front running More Likely has a little to find on official handicap ratings but is the Racing Post's top rated horse in this race and makes plenty of appeal each way priced at around 12/1 in Friday's tissue show. Peter Beaumont's Cloudless Dawn is quoted at 7/1; that looks decent value, particularly as Paul Nicholls' Bold Fire is likely to be vying for favouritsm but has some questions about her jumping to answer.

I'm interested to see Paul Webber's Appleaday declared in the novice hurdle due off at 4.05. Appleaday was an intended runner in the Champion Bumper but he makes his hurdling debut here instead. He would offer some each way value at 20/1 or bigger; Peter Bowen's Special Envoy is the top rated horse.

1 comment:

GeeDee said...

Watching the 2.55 on television, they seemed to go a decent clip up front; More Likely, a 15/2 shot was struggling to go the pace from the off and was beaten by halfway, eventually pulling up. Cloudless Dawn (13/2) fared only slightly better and was struggling after the cross fence, eventually finishing fifth. It looked a decent performance from winner Penneyrose Bay.
Appleaday went off at 25/1 and dropped away rather disappointingly in the final two furlongs to finish eighth; Special won at 11/8.