Masham Star
Masham Star

Fran Berry: Star to shine at Ascot


Top jockey Fran Berry looks ahead to a top-class weekend of action while going through his book of rides at Ascot and the Curragh, following a double on Friday.

Best chances

There’s top-class action everywhere you look in the world of racing this weekend with the 32Red Sprint Cup at Haydock, Irish Champions Weekend at Leopardstown and the Curragh and then the Arc trials as well in France.

I’ll be riding on the second half of Irish Champions Weekend on Sunday, more on that later, but the biggest race of the lot is at Leopardstown on Saturday when Churchill will bid to fend off his rivals in the QIPCO Irish Champion Stakes.

We have seen some vintage renewals of this contest in recent years, but the 2017 edition looks anything but and if you took Churchill out of the equation it would definitely be below par.

That’s not to say this is a penalty kick for the son of Galileo. Churchill is very solid at his best, but he had quite a hard race at York and that was only just over two weeks ago. He’s backing it up quite quickly and, with rain around, he’s no value at the prices.

I’d be thinking about having a go against him each-way and Dermot Weld’s Zhukova has to come into consideration given her ability to go in softer ground and her impressive win the sole time she visited Leopardstown on the same card a year ago.

However, if I had to pick one it would be Success Days. He’s such a tough horse, will love the softening of the ground and he might just get the run of things out in front as well. At around the 16/1 mark I think he’s a very fair each-way possibility.

In contrast, the Group One 32Red Sprint Cup at Haydock looks an excellent renewal with Harry Angel, Brando, Tasleet, The Tin Man and Blue Point all in there with good chances.

Harry Angel is an exceptional sprinter and is a deserved favourite, but I just wonder about him in the conditions, which again look like being very soft.

It’s not so much that he might not act on such ground, although that is a possibility, it’s just that he can be a free-going horse in the early stages. If he does too much too soon he might not see things out if it becomes a slog and with that in mind we could see a bit of an upset.

The one I like is The Tin Man at an each-way price.

He was second in the race last year and I remember riding Magic Circle and Robot Boy on that card and it felt like heavy ground to me.

It makes me think he’ll have no trouble handling the conditions and he is the Diamond Jubilee winner, so the general 7/1 about him looks a very fair each-way price.

Anyway, enough of what I’m not riding as I’ve got a pretty good book at Ascot on Saturday starting with Masham Star in the Cunard Handicap.

He’s a robust customer that’s had 18 starts this campaign and I was on board for one of those when he ran fifth over a mile at Ascot at the end of July.

I felt like he was going to win that day until he faded close to home, so it wasn’t really a surprise to see him regain the winning thread when he won dropped back to seven at Chelmsford last time.

He’s up 3lb for that, but back over seven again at Ascot he must have a good chance.

Later on I ride To Dibba in the Appletiser Stakes and hopefully I’ll be celebrating with a bottle of the fizzy stuff afterwards as the Roger Varian-trained colt is another with a cracking chance.

He’s progressive and unexposed, but the most exciting thing about him is the potential for more at the trip. The furthest he’s gone before is nine furlongs, so he steps up three to 1m4f here, and he shapes like a horse that will stay.

Being out of a Daylami mare he’s bred for it, too, so I’m really looking forward to riding him.

More guesswork is required with Walk On Walter in the Sodexo British EBF Novice Stakes. I’ve never sat on him and he’s a newcomer in this as are a few of them.

David Simcock’s usually improve massively from their first run, so perhaps he’s one to watch for the future.

We know plenty more about Outback Traveller in the Chapel Down Handicap. Everyone can see he’s not been in the best of form, but it doesn’t take much for these sprinters to bounce back, we’re talking tiny margins, and maybe his falling mark can help him bounce back.

It seems a while since he won the Wokingham now, but it is in fact only six starts and he’s now back on the same mark of 100 that he won off at last year’s Royal Ascot.

He should be fine on the ground, so I’m hoping the handicap mark can help him bounce back to something like his best.

Outback Traveller
Outback Traveller

I’ve never ridden Outback Traveller, but I’ve been on Robot Boy a few times for Laurence O’Kane & Paul Murphy, owners I’ve enjoyed some good times with over the years.

Hopefully we can have another good day with the Robot, as if the real RB turns up in the Superstars Handicap he’d have a winning chance.

On the face of it he’s been a bit disappointing this season, but he has dropped 11lb in the handicap since being a close second at Kempton in April and he has a few excuses for some of his recent runs.

Three starts ago he completely missed the break, but he’s usually away okay so we should be alright from stall two. The stalls are stands’ side, so I’ll be watching the races beforehand to try and see where the best place to be is. It can change race-by-race at Ascot, though.

Off a mark of 90, he could be dangerous if in the mood and he does like Ascot.

Finally, those Irish Champions Weekend rides at the Curragh on Sunday.

Duke Of Firenze could get some of the prize money in the Derrinstown Stud Flying Five Stakes. You never know, he may even do better than that.

David Griffiths is an excellent trainer of sprinters and Duke Of Firenze was unlucky to miss the Nunthorpe after pulling a shoe off on the treadmill the day before.

He’s fine now and this race could suit with Caspian Prince in there sure to go off like a hare. A strongly-run five furlongs is exactly what my fellow wants so he could well outrun his big odds.

In the Tattersalls Ireland Super Auction Sales Stakes I’m on Austin Powers for Mark Johnston.

He has plenty to do considering his official rating, but he’s a very consistent horse and you’d always hope a horse from such a good stable has a chance in a race like this.

The big plus is the draw. He's drawn 28 in a field of 30 and in the big fields at the Curragh that's where you want to be, stands' side, so he's not without hope of figuring in the fight for the money.

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