The Horse Watchers preview | Goldsmith, Rhoscolyn and Zozimus
Martin Dixon of the Horse Watchers takes you through the team's runners this week, including Rhoscolyn who is aiming for a fourth win at Goodwood.
Coming Up
Goldsmith
He's running in the Grassroots Mile Final at Nottingham on Tuesday. He qualified for this with his last race, so on the back of that he has been saved for here, knowing it was good prize-money for a horse of his rating. The ground might be a bit softer than ideal but I expect he'll take his chance and he's a horse that's capable of winning off his mark if things go right. He's run three races for us and every one of them he's shaped quite nicely without things falling quite right. The day that it does I'm sure he'll win, but whether it's in this I don't know - he's drawn in stall 12 and the ground might a bit softer than he'd ideally want.
Intervention
Intervention is running at Beverley on Tuesday. He's still not quite firing on the back of his break but at some point he'll bounce back. He hasn't got the greatest draw and the ground might be softer than ideal, so I wouldn't be overly optimistic, but he'll go there and take his chance.
Rhoscolyn
On Wednesday Rhoscolyn goes back to Goodwood where he has an excellent record. It's another small field, the ground will be perfect for him, he loves the track, he's still very well handicapped and he must go there with a good chance. Everything is in the horse's favour to run a very big race. He's never won over a mile but I really don't see a reason why he shouldn't be able to. He's run some very good races over a mile, including at Goodwood in the Golden Mile off higher ratings, so if he's in the same form he has been he must have a big chance.
Lion's Dream
He ran a lot better when third in the Leger Legends race last time. I thought it was a step in the right direction from what he had been doing and he's got two options at Newcastle on Friday and Chester on Saturday - he'll run in one of them. He's run very well at Newcastle previously, but then there's a chance Chester's a track which will suit him as he's a strong forward-going horse and can hang to his left. We'll weigh up the opposition.
Zozimus
Zozimus is in the Cambridgeshire at Newmarket on Saturday but isn't guaranteed a run. He was fourth in the Cambridgeshire for Donnacha O'Brien two years ago off a mark of 94 and he's 10 lb lower this time around. He seems to have started to really thrive and he's going to have a decent chance. I would never have imagined that two months ago, but he's really found his feet and he wants a strongly-run race because he's very headstrong. It's probably not a big surprise that he's run well in a Cambridgeshire before because it's obviously a bit of cavalry charge in a straight line and allows him to drop his head and run his race. You'd like to think that sort of set-up would suit him again if he gets a run.
Recent reflections
Aphelios
It was nice to bag another York winner. It was only our second one after Big Country, so he's following in big footsteps so far as the Horse Watchers are concerned. He had a long time off after his comeback run because he wasn't right and on the back of that it took him quite a while to find his feet. But as well as that, stepping up in trip has made a difference. He's got plenty of untapped potential over that sort of trip and just the way he kept finding the other day when challenged means it's possible we could stretch him out to an easy mile. We've got some nice options for him in the first couple of weeks of October and we're not looking beyond that for now.
Painters Palette
Painters Palette ran really well to finish third at Ayr last week. The race was a bit messy - he'd have preferred a stronger pace and Fred [Larson, jockey] felt he had to commit him too early. The timefigure of the race was very low - 49 - and there was a big finishing speed percentage and he'd have preferred an end-to-end gallop. He was out and into daylight a bit early and considering things didn't go perfectly for him it was a big run. I'm sure given the way he won at Wolverhampton the time before he still has more in the locker. He will go for the straight mile final at Redcar on Saturday 7 October. It's good prize money and he won a qualifier in August, so that course and distance suits him, and I'd like to think he'll go there with a big chance.
Raasel
He had a busy two weeks and he found Newbury tough going on the ground, but he's come back from it fine. He bled but he was absolutely fine afterwards and the next morning. Given he's had a busy season and we're right into the autumn now it makes sense he goes on his holidays and comes back next year.
Greenwich
He wasn't quite fast enough when runner-up at Redcar last week and needs to go up in trip, but it was another step forward albeit in a weak novice. He's a horse that really wants a mile and I'd say he'll come into his own when he gets a mile. Hopefully that improvement will continue in handicaps and I think it will. He's a horse we like and I'd expect him to keep on improving.
News Round-up
Conquredalofeurope is back in training with Donald McCain. There are no immediate plans but we look forward to having our first winner over jumps.
We have a new horse called Nights Over Egypt who was bought very cheaply out of James Horton's yard. He’s had a bad year, but we've taken a punt on him hopefully being able to rediscover his two-year-old form. He’s with Rebecca Menzies.
Baldomero will be back soon. He'll hopefully be ready to run in early-October and that will get his all-weather campaign started. He has some strong all-weather form from last season and, hopefully after being freshened up, we'll be able to have a good winter with him. He ran two really good races over six furlongs at Lingfield and Wolverhampton and, with that in mind, I'd say we'll likely keep him to between six furlongs and a mile.
More from Sporting Life
Safer gambling
We are committed in our support of safer gambling. Recommended bets are advised to over-18s and we strongly encourage readers to wager only what they can afford to lose.
If you are concerned about your gambling, please call the National Gambling Helpline / GamCare on 0808 8020 133.
Further support and information can be found at begambleaware.org and gamblingtherapy.org
Next Off
Most Followed
MOST READ RACING
