Collateral form
Apr 27th, 2008 by Bert
I’ve had jumpers running over the last few days with no luck In truth it’s been a pretty disappointing jumps season - some fairly expensive purchases have run poorly, the only real high point having been Mon Michel winning a few months ago. I’m pretty happy with what I have for the flat this year though - the first big day is Max One Two Three in the 1,000, and that’s only a week away now.
I saw Tom quoted in the Racing Post and I gave him a call. The piece said that Max had never won over more than 5f and that Tom had said that her sire had won over a mile - both incorrect. Tom was indignant - he said a journo rang up and said he had seen Tom had left Max in the 1,000, and asked him what he was “hoping to achieve”. He resisted the temptation to say he was hoping to win the best turned out and pointed out that her dam won over a mile and her sire had been group placed over a mile.
Tom runs Old Father Zieten in the first at Brighton today, and the race has the first piece of collateral form for Skid Solo in Entrancer. I think Tom is happy enough with OFZ, but this looks like a decent maiden - he could run a place and might be worth following if the price is right. There are three in the race who have come fourth in good maidens, and this is a chance to collate the form.
Brenin Taran finished behind Art Connoisseur, and a length ahead of Rayvin Mad of Pete’s. Entrancer was 4th 3 1/2 lengths behind Skid Solo. My mental ratings currently have Brenin Taran and Entrancer pretty close, although the Racing Post disagree. Entrancer is the bet for me, hoping the Newbury form of Skid Solo’s race will hold up.
Lilac Moon will come out soon, and her collateral form has worked out incrediby well. Looking through it I think she has been unlucky in coming up against so many well handicapped horses - she has also been unlucky in that she was drawn 13 in her last four runs. She has wintered very well - I’ll be disappointed if we can’t score with her in the coming months. Shepherd’s Warning’s form took a boost when Longoria won comfortably yesterday off a mark of 70. She’ll be out soon - she’s on a high mark and we may have to stick with claimers if we’re to win again with her. Effingham should come out tomorrow at Windsor, and his fourth at Haydock worked out well. I haven’t made my mind up what I think of him yet.
No luck for Old Father Zieten but Neil Callan had a great day with four winners! Brighton’s a good racecourse, unless the sea mist comes rolling in, as it sometimes does there! One of the best bets of my life was at Brighton - in the early 1960s I think - when I had £5 on Sparrow Pie, ridden by Greville Starkey. What a memory THAT was.
OFZ ran ok once he had come down the hill at Brighton. It can be an experience for 2-y-o’s but many appreciate the sea air. I can remember a 8/1 winner backed from 40s in a 2-y-o race a few years ago, he liked the sea air!
Entrancer didn’t enhance Skid Solo’s form but I’m not sure he ran his race. IMO a flat track would be better for that beast. The Ascot race on Wednesday looks very interesting and could pull quite a bit of early form together. I wish you the best of luck with SS but even with the penalty Baycat may have too many guns. I also like the look of Firth of Fifth if he hits the gates running as Ascot can be quite stiff for 2-y-o’s if the wind is blowing up the track.
Good luck with Max at the weekend and look forward to seeing you there…..I will look for you in the winners enclosure
Please check out the Sporting Life site as whoever the journalist was who spoke to Tom must have been paid more by them as some of his facts were correct. She of course won over 6 furlongs, twice…never running over 5f. It’s also nice to know that this is a good year for her family with her full brother winning 3 races between March 18 - April 7, over 7f.