Pontefract 2.20 – Motion
Those with experience in this 6f maiden don’t really set a very high standard and the two well bred newcomers make the most appeal. Sands Of Giza is half brother to Group One winner Sands Of Mali and could be very useful but he has got a very wide draw to contend with.
So, Motion is the one to focus on. She is a half sister to Elarqam, out of the Guineas winner Attraction and is bred to be very useful. She has bagged a decent draw in stall two and with the Mark Johnston yard in great form since the resumption, she makes plenty of appeal to break her duck at the first attempt.
Pontefract 15.50 – Theatro (each-way 4 places)
This looks a really competitive 1m 4f handicap but Theatro has decent each-way claims. Relatively lightly raced, he has only had eight career starts and his only real poor runs have come on the Tapeta surface at Newcastle.
His last three runs have been progressive, winning at Ripon over today’s trip off a mark of 70 and followed that by finishing third at Haydock off a mark of 78, beaten a half length when stepped up two furlongs in trip. He ended the season with a second at Nottingham over a 1m 6f when beaten eight lengths.
The winner that day was Goshen, (who infamously fell at the last since over timber with the Triumph Hurdle at his mercy) running off a mark of 80. We now know that he was absolutely thrown in off that rating. Theatro drops in trip to a 1m 4f today and the bit of better ground will aid his cause also.
Paddy is paying 4 places each-way and that’s a big help.
Yarmouth 17.10 – Alphabetical
Sea Of Marmoon made a winning handicap debut last week and Newcastle when well supported and carries a 6lb penalty now – but there is a chance she will be bumping into a handicap ‘blot’ in Alphabetical.
Alphabetical is trained by Sir Mark Prescott, who likes nothing more than campaigning two-year-olds in maidens over trips far too short for them and then step them up to a more suitable trip once they go handicapping. It is not unusual for Prescott horses to improve forty pounds through their first season handicapping and the breeding of Alphabetical suggests he could be one that improve substantially now stepping way up in trip.
No shorter than 20/1 in four starts in maiden and novice company, he never troubled the judge but the furthest he ran over was a mile and he is bred for a longer trip. He now steps up to 1m 6f and a mark of 54 could really underestimate him. His brother Algoometer was a Group 3 winner over 11f and was a close second in a Group 2 in France over 1m 6f. If Alphabetical has a fraction of his brother’s ability, he could prove very difficult beat today.
*Prices correct at publishing but are subject to change except on our snazzy new bet widget which is bang up to date.
Read More:
- Horse Racing tips: The 5 greatest gambles on the Flat that stung Paddy Power
- Horse Racing tips: Frank Hickey’s 15 horses to follow for the 2020 Flat season
- Horse Racing tips: 6 William Haggas horses who can score this Summer