LOPE Y FERNANDEZ looks a good each-way price in the Betfair Sprint Cup at Haydock this afternoon at 15/2 getting the four places (Betfair Sportsbook, Paddy Power, Bet Victor).
I spoke to Aidan O’Brien the other day ahead of Irish Champions Weekend and he was saying how he was considering dropping him back to the Flying Five, so he must have faith in this horse’s speed.
He’s been getting his act together over in France over further on his last two runs, when narrowly beaten by Pinatubo and Space Blues, form that gives him a leading chance here.
The soft ground is an unknown, but I see no reason why he won’t go on it and it might even help him as he drops ever so slightly in trip from the six-and-a-half furlongs he tackled in the Prix Maurice de Gheest.
With Ryan Moore able to ride him now the quarantine rules have been relaxed the stars are aligning for him and I’m surprised he’s not amongst the top three in the betting.
He’s worth backing each-way and there are a couple I fancy at Navan as well.
Firstly IMPROVING in the Navanracecourse.ie Handicap at 15/2 (Betfair, Paddy Power 1/5 1,2,3,4,5).
I put him up in this column a few weeks ago at Cork and he ran a cracker in second, so I’e got to be with him again off the same mark today.
Crucially he drops a little in trip by half a furlong and that should suit, while a good 7lb claimer in Dylan Browne McMonagle takes the ride.
He likes this yielding ground, he’s a strong traveller and with generous each-way terms available he’s worth backing.
Finally I like the look of John McConnell’s supposed second-string ARCTIC BLAZE (10/1 General ¼ 1,2,3,4) in the Gormanlough Apprentice Handicap at 5.10.
This Roderic O’Connor filly was very eye-catching on her last start at Cork and is a lightly-raced individual for the grade.
She improved for the step up in trip last time out and made good progress before getting checked at the furlong marker, where she then stayed on nicely without being knocked about.
There was more than a hint of promise there and with Danny Sheehy on board from stall five she rates decent each-way value on drying ground that should suit.
Posted at 1100 BST on 05/09/20
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