Timeform provide an overview of the key things to note on Monday.
Family affair in Windsor sprint qualifier
Those of you who like your sprint handicaps competitive will enjoy Monday’s Fitzdares Sprint Series Handicap at 15:53, the third of 10 such qualifiers for the valuable £75k Windsor Sprint Series final in August.
Just 4 lb separates the seven runners on Timeform’s weight-adjusted ratings, with the verdict team coming down on the side of Nad Alshiba Green who has shaped well in two starts since joining Clive Cox from Michael Appleby.
Uncle Don narrowly tops the figures for Robert Cowell and Middleham Park Racing, who also run Kylian who is better judged on his Leicester effort than at York where he wasn’t well positioned.
Tom Marquand takes the ride on Trefor whose course record reads 1-1-5-4-2, and he was only beaten just over a length on his two ‘poorest’ efforts. He came on plenty for his reappearance when an eye-catching fourth in this race last year and has a similar profile this season, for all he is higher in the weights this time around.
Desert Cop represents ‘hot trainer’ George Baker and is now 5 lb below his last winning mark, this quicker ground will suit Sudden Flight, while Justcallmepete is still fairly treated despite a rise for his recent Bath success.
A tricky puzzle to solve, that’s for sure, but there aren’t many better trainers of sprinters than Robert Cowell and, having not had Uncle Don for long, it would be no surprise to see him step up with Jack Callan fancied to claim bragging rights over his dad Neil who rides Desert Cop.
Horses For Courses to the max
It wouldn’t be a bank holiday without a trip to Cartmel, where the party atmosphere usually makes up for the fact that you can’t see the horses for half of the race. That is, unless you’re 0/6 on a card and being taunted by your girlfriend’s gran, but I don’t want to talk about that, I’m over it. Honest.
Tommie Beau has happier memories of the Lake District venue and is back for more in the Hugh Cavendish Veterans' Handicap Chase (15:58).
It’s no surprise that he has the ‘Horses For Courses’ flag as the Seamus Mullins-trained 11-year-old loves a turning track, his 15 wins spread across Plumpton, Hexham, Fakenham, Newton Abbot, Stratford, Sedgefield and Cartmel, with three victories at the last-named.
Indeed, his course record reads 4-1-1-2-1-2-7, with his latest below-par effort coming when stumbling under a big weight from a handicap mark of 140 last summer.
Despite winning at Fakenham earlier this month, this ‘Horse In Focus’ is 13 lb lower in easier company this time around, and is expected to pick up the front-running If Not For Dylan late on.
Flags galore in Redcar feature
Classes 4,5 and 6 all get a good run out on Monday, but the racing is sprinkled – admittedly sparingly – with a touch of glitter with the McHale Mayo National Handicap Chase (18:35) at Ballinrobe, while over in Germany the likes of Title Role (Simon & Ed Crisford), Shayem (Karl Burke) and Lost Signal (Richard Hannon) attempt to secure a third British winner in five years in the Coolmore City Of Troy German 2000 Guineas at Cologne.
The Racing TV Zetland Gold Cup Handicap (16:07) at Redcar is their feature race of the day, and there are three ‘Horses In Focus’ flags amongst several for the 12 runners.
Spoken Truth found only an old rival from his return too good but went like the better horse at the weights for a long way at Ripon last month, and looks the type that The Horse Watchers do particularly well with, while Salam Dubawi showed himself a different beast to the one toiling throughout on his British debut 19 days earlier when storming clear from 6 lb lower at Hamilton.
Rainbow Nebula also won last time out, enhancing his good strike rate in handicaps when scoring over a mile at this venue. He’s unproven over this far but shapes as if it will suit, both on pedigree and run-style.
The ‘Hot Trainer’ flag applies to top-weight Flying Frontier thanks to the good form of the James Tate stable; the yard will be hoping for a change of luck as their last four runners have all finished second.
The ‘Trainer Uplift’ flag also gets an airing, with Divine Knight having his first start for William Haggas after leaving the care of Sean Woods. The lightly-raced five-year-old scoped wrong ahead of an intended reappearance at York recently but won first time out last season and looks the type to progress further this term.
Other contenders include the unexposed, in-form four-year-olds Clouds Hill and Fierce Fortitude, along with the returning Danger Bay who is open to oodles of improvement this season. The fairly-treated Parlando and Saint Etienne complete the field.
And you thought the Windsor sprint was tricky...
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