Tuesday Talking Points: Richard Mann looks ahead to the day's racing
Richard Mann with three things to consider ahead of the day's racing, including a couple of interesting runners at Ayr.
Don't underestimate shrewd Stillington handler
Majorie Fife might not be the most high-profile Flat trainer around but her reputation on the northern circuit is strong and her handling of 2017 Scottish Stewards' Cup winner Classic Seniority - picked up for 12,000 guineas in 2014 - was a fine illustration of her training skills.
Despite having limited ammunition to go to war with, Fife is well on track to better last year's tally of 16 calendar winners, two of which have already come at Ayr.
Fife has an excellent record at the Scottish venue and has sent out eight winners from 47 runners here over the last five years at a very respectable strike-rate of 17 per cent. Crucially for punters, Fife's level stakes profit at Ayr in that period is +£24.58, suggesting her horses continue to represent good value.
Inexes represents Fife in the Weatherbys Global Stallions App Handicap at 3.15 and he went into plenty of notebooks when finishing strongly for second at Pontefract last time. Despite a subsequent 2lb rise in the weights, this previous course and distance winner remains on a favourable handicap mark.
Danny Tudhope takes the ride this time and given he can boast an 18 per cent strike-rate at Ayr over the past five years, with a level stakes profit of +£21.37, this could be match made in heaven.
Fab Fell saddles progressive Daawy
Roger Fell has enjoyed a terrific season to date, training 47 winners so far, and there has been no greater advertisement of his training skills than the exploits of Burnt Sugar.
Fell only took the six-year-old into his care last year but has already landed some notable prizes with the horse, a big handicap at the end of last term followed by wins in the Bunbury Cup and International Stakes in July.
Fell has also worked his magic touch with another of his recruits as Daawy has now won two on the bounce having only joined his stable at the start of last month.
A good winner at Pontefract on September 20, he backed that up with an even more impressive success at Haydock on Friday afternoon and lines up in the Weatherbys Hamilton Handicap (4.55) off only a 1lb higher mark.
Both of those victories came with cut in the ground so everything points to another big run from Fell's progressive four-year-old.
Quiet spell for Lyons
Ger Lyons is firmly established as one of the leading trainers in Ireland and he was a fundamental reason why Colin Keane managed to get the better of Pat Smullen in a thrilling conclusion to the Irish Jockey's Championship last summer.
The likes of Who's Steph and Blue Uluru have ensured that Lyons has had plenty to cheer about this summer but there has to be some concern about the current well being of the stable's horses.
Lyons has only saddled one winner in the past two weeks at a strike-rate of only three per cent, significantly down on his overall strike-rate this season of 14 per cent.
Encouragingly for Lyons, that winner came on Sunday when Omran was victorious at Naas and runner-up finishes for Bucky Larson and Medicine Jack on the same card would offer hope that the tide is turning for the yard.
Lyons sends four runners to Naas on Tuesday, a track at which he can boast a strike-rate of 18 per cent over the last five years, and it will be interesting to see how those runners fare with plenty of important Flat racing still to come in the Irish campaign.
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