Our form expert had 10/1 winner Folsom Blues in his last Verdict column and he has four selections for Ayr and Newbury on Saturday.
The Verdict: Saturday September 19
1pt win Thunder Roar in the 13:20 Ayr at 13/2 (bet365, William Hill)
1pt win Nabati in 14:12 Newbury at 4/1 (General)
1pt win Capall Rasa in the 14:47 Newbury at 9/1 (bet365, William Hill, Unibet)
1pt e.w. Fine Interview in the 15:40 Ayr at 12/1 (bet365 1/5 1,2,3,4,5,6)
Fine bet in the Ayr Gold Cup
With the ground already soft and more showers forecast conditions have turned at last up at Ayr with a maximum field of 25 declared for the valuable Ladbrokes Ayr Gold Cup on Saturday.
Plenty of trainers will have been hoping for such conditions and I’m sure William Haggas will have been one of them ahead of the task facing his 4/1 favourite Binhareer.
He likes getting his toe in and a big field over six furlongs with cut in the ground looks his optimum scenario, but he looks short enough at 4/1 considering he’s won one of his last seven and after a couple of months off I’d rather swerve him at the prices.
I’m not convinced the well-fancied Dance In The Storm wants it this soft, either, but with the ground firmly in mind the one I keep coming back to is Hamad Al Jehani’s Wathnan first string FINE INTERVIEW.
This grey son of Havana Grey loves it soft with form figures of 1-1-2-1-3-3-1-1-0 on such a surface and that ‘0’ came at Epsom in June when he was sent off the 15/8 favourite for the competitive JRA Tokyo Trophy Handicap on Derby day.
I’m happy to draw a line through that run, as he was not going a yard from an early stage and looked all at sea on the unique track, and if you ignore that his claims look very strong indeed.
Lightly raced with just three runs under his belt all season, he looks to have been saved for when the conditions turn in his favour and I thought he ran an eye-catching race last time out at York in the Sky Bet Constantine Handicap which looks a key form race.
Racing in the far-side group after 77 days off the track since Epsom, he made strong late headway under considerate handling to be beaten just two lengths, shaping every inch like he’d come on for the run when faced with more testing conditions.
With James Doyle taking over and a good stands’ rail draw in 25 looking ideal, Fine Interview is fancied to run a big one for a trainer who looks a dab hand with sprinters, having already landed the Stewards’ Cup this season with Evening Saigon, who also runs here, with Doyle jumping ship onto the selection.
The Verdict: Back FINE INTERVIEW in the 15:40 Ayr
Thunder to rumble again
Earlier on at Ayr the card opens with the Ladbrokes Handicap over a mile (13:20) and THUNDER ROAR is bidding to repeat his win in the race from last year for Tony Coyle and Kaine Wood.
The son of Night Of Thunder is also well proven on soft ground, winning this race 12 months ago on such conditions, and he too looks to have been saved for an autumn campaign after missing three months between early June and his return at Ripon on August 31.
That looked nothing more than a stepping stone to this, as he was dropped out in the rear at a track where it’s tremendously difficult to come from off the pace and he wasn’t given a hard time with his chance gone.
The cheekpieces were also on that day, but they’ve been whipped off here and the last time he ran in such circumstances he was first past the post in the Spring Mile at Doncaster only to be demoted to second by the stewards.
I think we’ll see something like the real Thunder Roar on Saturday and off a mark 3lb lower than the one he won off last year he looks a decent bet at 13/2.
The Verdict: Back THUNDER ROAR in the 13:20 Ayr
Nab the 4/1 in Mill Reef
Over at Newbury it’s the Group 2 Dubai Duty Free Mill Reef Stakes and Arapaho Gold sets the standard following his impressive win in the Gimcrack at York.
He does saddle a 3lb penalty because of that success, though, and that brings Charlie Appleby’s NABATI right into the equation.
The Godolphin hopeful was beaten a neck by Arapaho Gold at this track back in July off level weights and that was just Nabati’s second racecourse start with the winner more experienced by one run.
Arapaho Gold has improved since, but Nabati has more to offer too and he can improve himself now dropping back to six furlongs having tackled seven in the Flying Scotsman at Doncaster last time.
He ran well in third there, but he raced a bit too keenly over the seven and he challenged on the opposite flank to the first two home, so he wasn’t seen to best effect and he should enjoy dropping back to six.
With Appleby and his juveniles flying, he might just sink Arapaho Gold off these terms in a race the same connections won last year with Words Of Truth.
The Verdict: Back NABATI in the 14:12 Newbury
The Capall fits for Bethell at Newbury
Finally, CAPALL RASA is of interest in the Dubai Duty Free Handicap over 10 furlongs on his first start for trainer Ed Bethell after moving from Tom Dascombe.
Bethell is adept with his recruits from other yards first time up, winning 16 from 63 at 25.4%, and this horse has unfinished business at this track.
His only previous run over 10 furlongs came here in the London Gold Cup when he got absolutely no run at all and his fifth in the Britannia at Royal Ascot after that can be marked up after he again didn’t get a clear run.
Taking on his elders for the first time in receipt of 5lb on the weight-for-age, he could repay the patience connections have shown by winning first time up for his new yard.
The Verdict: Back CAPALL RASA in the 14:47 Newbury
Preview posted at 16:00 BST on 18/09/26
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