20:15 Salisbury

Saturday 27 July 2019

All17:1517:4518:1518:4519:1519:4520:15

John Boyden Handicap

Off time: 20:15 | Winning time: 3m 5.68s

Moayadd^v¹⁴

Age: 7| Weight: 10-0| J: F Sweeney| T: N P Mulholland| OR: 75

66/1

Plenty to prove on current form and was just under 9l adrift of Master Grey here at the last meeting. Hard to see those places being reversed.

Form: 390-244

Master Grey¹⁴

Age: 4| Weight: 9-12| J: Tom Marquand| T: B R Millman| OR: 73| CD

11/1

Goes well here as evidenced with a win and a close second over C&D the last twice. A 1lb higher mark says he needs a career best but has thrived this season and is likely to be on the premises once more.

Form: 515412

Sufi³¹

Age: 5| Weight: 9-11| J: P J Dobbs| T: K O Cunningham-Brown| OR: 72

14/1

Won with a bit in hand at Bath last time - more than the winning margin suggests as he stayed on well near the finish. This longer trip won't be too much of an issue and the gelding certainly merits a place on any shortlist.

Form: 276-261

Goscote²¹

Age: 4| Weight: 9-11| J: Charles Bishop| T: H Candy| OR: 72| D

6/1

Modest effort on debut seems a distant memory and the filly was good value for her short winning margin last time out. Lightly raced, she has bags of scope and looks another prime candidate to help bolster the trainer's strike-rate at this course.

Form: 0-321

Universal Command^h³¹

Age: 4| Weight: 9-11| J: K Shoemark| T: Jack Barber| OR: 72

66/1

Did manage a win when with Roger Charlton but lost his way last season and yet to recapture his old sparkle since joining his current yard.

Form: 3158-06

War Brigade^p⁴⁰

Age: 5| Weight: 9-8| J: Jim Crowley| T: Ian Williams| OR: 69

17/2

Two good efforts of late - holds Sufi on the Goodwood form of his penultimate start - and respected from the same mark as when a close third at Nottingham latest. Firmer ground might not be ideal but he can go close if he handles the conditions.

Form: 613-723

Oydis⁴⁰

Age: 3| Weight: 9-4| J: S M Levey| T: R M Beckett| OR: 77

10/1

Made a winning start to handicapping at Windsor last month and likely to find the step up in trip isn't much of an extra burden on his stamina. A 7lb higher mark makes it a stiff test though.

Form: 3-041

Australis¹⁷

Age: 3| Weight: 9-2| J: Andrea Atzeni| T: R Varian| OR: 75| BF

11/4

Supported into favouritism but just denied last time out; still ran with credit and is unexposed as far as handicaps go. The promise of more to come means he has to merit a betting check.

Form: 0252

Johnny Kidd¹⁹

Age: 3| Weight: 9-0| J: Oisin Murphy| T: A M Balding| OR: 73

8/1

Shown ability but debut run in a handicap was uninspiring. He weakened tamely near the finish over an extended 1m3f at Windsor and has a good bit to prove now he's upped in trip.

Form: 5425

Blame It On Sally¹⁶

Age: 3| Weight: 8-4| J: L Morris| T: Sir Mark Prescott| OR: 63

5/2

Stable is in much better form than the uncharacteristically low returns from the season so far. However, this fellow fits a familiar profile and his improvement now he's being upped in trip is evident. Still on a lenient mark despite a 5lb rise.

Form: 0878-1

Forecasts

Blame It On Sally (5/2), Australis (11/4), Goscote (6/1), Johnny Kidd (8/1), War Brigade (17/2), Oydis (10/1), Master Grey (11/1), Sufi (14/1), Universal Command (66/1), Moayadd (66/1)

Blame It On Sally merits a close check in the betting and may well be up to defying his 5lb higher mark after winning at Epsom 16 days ago. He's in the right hands to be placed to good effect (his yard won this race last year) and might be worth a saver whatever happens. However, better value lies with GOSCOTE, whose trainer has traditionally targeted meetings at this course with well placed individuals. Henry Candy's charge is open to plenty of improvement and can help to ensure that a strong pace will expose any weaknesses among the rest. War Brigade and Master Grey are others with solid place claims, while Sufi can also go close if this goes to form.