17:15 Newcastle

Saturday 29 June 2019

All13:5014:2515:0015:3516:1016:4517:1517:50

Betfair Casino Handicap

Off time: 17:16 | Winning time: 1m 27.1s

(7)

Vale Of Kent¹⁰

Age: 4| Weight: 10-0| J: S De Sousa| T: C & M Johnston| OR: 99| D

7/1

Enjoyed a successful 3yo campaign winning the Class 2 Qatar handicap (7f, good to firm) at Glorious Goodwood by the narrowest of margins; finished a very creditable 7th of 28 in the Royal Hunt Cup (33/1) on his seasonal reappearance; 3-7 on the AW.

Form: 14404-7

(5)

Raydiance⁷

Age: 4| Weight: 9-8| J: C Lee| T: K R Burke| OR: 93| D

13/2

Yet to race on the AW and did much of his winning as a juvenile on soft ground; finished 18th of 26 (66/1) in Newbury's Spring Cup but back to winning ways at a much more realistic level at Redcar (7f, good) last week; 3lb higher.

Form: 700-001

(9)

Mubhij²⁰

Age: 4| Weight: 9-6| J: Andrea Atzeni| T: R Varian| OR: 91| CD

2/1

C&D novice winner 12 months ago; kicked off this season by winning readily on handicap debut at Yarmouth (7f, good to firm) before a solid Goodwood second from his revised mark; remains low mileage; chance.

Form: 712-12

(1)

Hajjam⁷

Age: 5| Weight: 9-5| J: Jason Watson| T: D O'Meara| OR: 90| D

12/1

Has raced almost exclusively on turf since the early part of 2017; finished a never nearer 9th of 26 in the Victoria Cup at Ascot in May; 2lb lower than when beaten approximately 3L by Raydiance at Redcar last week.

Form: 17-5496

(6)

Gallipoli^v³⁵

Age: 6| Weight: 9-5| J: P Hanagan| T: R A Fahey| OR: 90| D

16/1

3lb lower than when finishing second (beaten ¾L) to Keyser Soze in a Class 2 C&D handicap in February; not at the top of his game lately, admittedly in fiercely competitive handicaps such as Ascot's Victoria Cup; race runner up in 2018.

Form: 224506

(2)

Name The Wind²¹

Age: 3| Weight: 9-3| J: P J McDonald| T: J Tate| OR: 97| BF| D

4/1

Contested the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket (finished last of 19) after opening up with novice/conditions stakes wins at Kempton (7f-1m); with so little evidence in the book, it's difficult to say whether or not a handicap mark of 97 is attractive.

Form: 1-105

(8)

Diocles Of Rome²⁹

Age: 4| Weight: 9-2| J: B A Curtis| T: R M Beckett| OR: 87| D

5/1

Boasts solid career AW form figures (2112), with both wins coming over 7f at Kempton; requires a career best effort from today's mark which is 7lb higher than when beating Tommy Taylor by 2L at Doncaster (7f, gd/fm) 29 days ago; an improving 4yo.

Form: 6112-51

(4)

Woven²³

Age: 3| Weight: 8-12| J: Kerrin McEvoy| T: D M Simcock| OR: 92| D

14/1

Just held on when winning a 7f novice at York (good to soft) last September before a couple of respectable efforts in Dubai at Meydan; beaten 3L (fourth) on his return to UK racing at Chelmsford (1m) three weeks ago; 2lb lower.

Form: 41-204

Non-Runners

(3)

Weld Al Emarat⁸

Weight: 9-3| Age: 7

T: M & D Easterby J: Josh Quinn

Forecasts

Mubhij (2/1), Name The Wind (4/1), Diocles Of Rome (5/1), Raydiance (13/2), Vale Of Kent (7/1), Weld Al Emarat (10/1), Hajjam (12/1), Woven (14/1), Gallipoli (16/1)

A very tricky 7f handicap featuring 2018 runner up Gallipoli. Mubhij is a low mileage C&D winner who is certain to figure prominently in the market, while the James Tate-trained Name The Wind was thought good enough to contest the 2000 Guineas. Furthermore, with winning form at Southwell, the continuing heatwave will undoubtedly boost the chances of Weld Al Emarat (suited by a slow surface). Diocles Of Rome is an improving 4yo, and Raydiance is turned out quickly after winning at Redcar. However, in a wide open race the tentative shout is for the AW regular VALE OF KENT who posted an excellent effort (seventh) in Ascot's Royal Hunt Cup.