Paul Jacobs’ Sunday Racing Tips
13:50 Curragh – Jon Riggens
14:32 Bath – Majestic Heights
16:15 Doncaster – Tacarib Bay
16:50 Doncaster – Arkendale (Each-Way)
*All prices are bang up to date with our snazzy widgets, while odds in copy are accurate at time of publishing but subject to change.
13:50 Curragh – Jon Riggens
A huge field of 26 will got to post in this Premier Handicap and in theory the pace is evenly spread across the track. Old boy Summerghand will relish an end-to-end gallop and comes here off a very fair mark of 88 having been placed off 91 and 93 this term. Of course he will need luck in the run, to play a part late on, but you could make that comment about plenty of these. Connections of former Wokingham Handicap winner Saint Lawrence will hope the rain stays away for him, but if the ground is on the fast side, the recent Group Three third charge should go well at a big price.
Of the home trained entries, The Highway Rat is interesting off a break, and is still unexposed over this kind of trip, while Heavenly Power has a cracking record at around this trip at the track and is once again becoming fairly treated.
But in what you would expect is a wide open affair I think Edward Lynam’s other charge JON RIGGENS could be the answer. A winner off 79 and 87 in his career to date, he closely matched with his aforementioned stable mate on course running last year and last time out, but I think he is better suited by the extra half furlong and any give in the ground likely from the forecast rain will help. With James Ryan taking a further 3lbs off his back, the six-year-old is set to race off 81, and I will be disappointed if he is not in the first six here.
14:32 Bath – Majestic Heights
Not as high end as our other three ‘value plays’ on Sunday, however, this still looks an interesting betting medium. Plenty of the 12 runners in this nursery handicap have yet to race over a mile, and with the Somerset track being against the collar all the way up the home straight, staying power could be the order of the day.
Mount of Gold is one of a few that have raced over this trip, but she sacrificed her chance at Salisbury by pulling like an absolute train through the first three furlongs. A mark of 46 is a fair level for her, and she is the biggest danger, along with the stoutly bred Dynamite Diva who was a mighty eye catcher on her last start over six furlongs at Windsor when coming from some way off the pace behind Piranha Rama.
She could be worth a saver behind Richard Hannon’s charge MAJESTIC HEIGHTS, who had a horrible wide passage all the way through a seven furlong race at Chelmsford City last time out. He still finished with plenty of running in him and a better draw in box number five here makes him a massive player.
16:15 Doncaster – Tacarib Bay
There are any number of well handicapped sprinters in this field and top of the shop is probably Orazio who promised lots in the Wokingham Handicap at Royal Ascot, but disappointed badly in the Bunbury Cup at Newmarket and Moet and Chandon at Ascot.
This intermediate trip could turn out to be his optimum and he is rightly respected off a winnable mark of 103. TACARIB BAY has gone up 5lbs for being beaten in consecutive photo finishes at Goodwood and Ascot. The forecast rain on Sunday will play in the favour of Hannon’s charge, and with plenty of pace around him to draw the five-year-old into the contest in the second part of the race, and Sean Levey taking over from an apprentice, the chance is there over twice the price of the top weight.
Of the bigger priced runners I shall be keeping a keen eye on Flaming Rib who ran better than his finishing position suggests at Chester last time.
16:50 Doncaster – Arkendale
The pivotal horse in this mile and a quarter contest is Bowood who is on a four timer, following an opening win this season off a mark of 55 here over a mile in May, followed by wins at Ripon and Nottingham. However, he is now fully 13lbs higher than for that last success and looks hugely vulnerable in a much better and deeper contest.
I really like the look of the former Ed Walker charge, now with another Ed in the form of Mr Bethell. There can be no argument that ARKENDALE is a hugely inconsistent horse, but I cannot ignore him off his current rating of 76, having won off a 10lbs higher mark last year and placed off 86 since. With a good pace set in a field of 16 and the long stretch in his favour I think the four-year-old is an each-way play.
Paul Jacobs’ Sunday Racing Tips
13:50 Curragh – Jon Riggens
14:32 Bath – Majestic Heights
16:15 Doncaster – Tacarib Bay
16:50 Doncaster – Arkendale (Each-Way)
*All prices are bang up to date with our snazzy widgets, while odds in copy are accurate at time of publishing but subject to change.
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