Find all previous Seymour Biz racing previews in his weekly column: Saturday Horse Racing Tips.
The flat season is very much upon us already, and it goes up a gear this week with the Guineas Meeting from Newmarket at the forefront this Saturday.
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ITV Racing are covering four races from HQ, including two Class 2 Heritage Handicaps, a Group 3 contest, and the Group 1 2000 Guineas, which looks one of the most open for years. This is all backed up by two Listed Fillies races at Goodwood and a Class 2 Handicap from Thirsk. So plenty to look forward to this week, and here are my thoughts and this week’s Lucky Fifteen.
Saturday Lucky Fifteen
1.45 Newmarket. Addison Grey
2.20 Newmarket. Fifth Column
3.35 Newmarket. Bow Echo
2.40 Thirsk. Blue Rc
Bet this lucky 15 on Bet365
Starting with the 1.45, the Betfred Handicap, this race is a class 2 contest run over 6 furlongs of the Rowley course. There is a very warm favourite here with Andrew Balding’s Double Rush, who won here at the Craven meeting on his seasonal reappearance, where he beat Cool Angel and Invictus Gold, who he meets again here, winning by almost 5 lengths.
Robert Cowell’s Jakajaro has returned from last season’s trip to the USA with a spring in his step and won a Class 3 here at Newmarket last month. But this is tougher.
Stephen Thorne’s Irish raider Sir Les Patterson won at Dundalk in February but ran disappointingly at Newcastle last month.
I give a chance to Clive Cox’s Addison Grey, who won twice last season. This term, he was unluckily beaten just a head at Newbury last month. He races off the same mark here and can take this favourite on.
At 2.20, it is the Betfred Suffolk Stakes, a Class 2 Heritage Handicap run over 1m 1f. The top weight here is William Haggas’s Bullet Point, who won at this meeting last season, then went on to win at York later in the season. He goes well the first time out.
Karl Burke’s Botanical ran 4th in a Class 2 at Doncaster in March, but he hasn’t won for two years.
Andrew Balding has a strong hand here with The Lost King and Mister Winston. The Lost King has won twice on the all-weather this term, and Mister Winston won here at Newmarket over 1 mile in April. The extra furlong may not be a problem.
Charlie Johnson’s Marhaba Ghaiyyaith was a disappointing favourite at Pontefract in April, finishing 5th of 8.
John and Thady Gosden’s Fifth Column’s run at Newbury last month was not as bad as it looks. Despite finishing 11th, he was only beaten by 4 lengths. He is better than that run, and I take him to show improvement here.
The Betfred 2000 Guineas Stakes is at 3.35. This Classic Grade 1 race is run over the Rowley Mile. George Boughey has the favourite with Bow Echo, who is unbeaten after three runs, including over this course and distance last September.
Aidan O Brien’s entry is Gstaad, who, after a trio of runner-up places, went to the Breeders Cup at Del Mar and won a Group 1 over a mile. Could his ultimate ambition be to head back there this coming November?
Charlie Appleby has two in the lineup, Distant Storm and Kings Trail. Distant Storm won over 7 furlongs in a Group 3 here at Newmarket in September, then ran 3rd one and a half lengths behind Gstaad again here at Newmarket in October.
King’s Trail is unbeaten. Both his runs have come at Kempton latterly last month in a Class 2 race.
John and Thady Gosden’s Oxagon didn’t show much as a 2-year-old. His best run was in 5th at the Futurity at Doncaster last October, but he came to the Craven meeting here at Newmarket last month and slaughtered a good field in the Craven Stakes. Given an easy lead, he could do the same thing again. But my thoughts lie with the unbeaten Bow Echo to carry on his winning ways.
Moving north to Thirsk and the 2.40, which is the Sky Bet Thirsk Hunt Cup, this is a Class 2 race run over one mile. Last year’s winner, Flight Plan, returns to defend his crown for trainer Karl Burke. He has not been running at his best on the all-weather this season, but he has 6lbs less to carry than last year and is not without a chance of that weight.
William Haggas’s Sea Force won his final race of last season at Yarmouth but was a disappointing favourite last month at Musselburgh. He can improve on that run.
David O’Meara’s Mirsky won twice last season and ran a good third in the same race as Sea Force at Musselburgh. A bold run is expected from him.
I was impressed with Michael and David Easterby’s A War Eagle’s victory at Beverley last month. He can step up in class to feature here off his low weight. But I think the answer here lies with trainer James Tate, who runs Blue Rc and City Of Poets.
Blue Rc won at Southwell on New Year’s Day and ran a good second at Newcastle last month. City Of Poets won at Wolverhampton last November and ran third there last month. I just side with Blue Rc.
Saturday Lucky Fifteen
1.45 Newmarket. Addison Grey
2.20 Newmarket. Fifth Column
3.35 Newmarket. Bow Echo
2.40 Thirsk. Blue Rc
Bet this lucky 15 on Bet365
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