Saturday 5 September 2009

5th September

Sorry for a late update but internet went down.

A number of races today but Thirsk is most interesting.


2:00 Thirsk
It will be something of a puzzler how most of these juveniles will fare with the ground on the soft-side and what affect this will have on the draw. Dance For Julie is a consistent sort and a nice-looking juvenile. This 6f should allow her to show plenty of pace, which is always a bonus at Thirsk. She is a battling type and should go well. Opus Dei is a difficult juvenile to assess, although could turn out to be fair two-year-old and certainly has more promise than most of these. He may have been a beaten favourite last time out, changed stables since and had a decent spell on the sidelines, but that wasn't a bad effort by any means. Definitely one to keep an eye on today. A restricted auction race, but a few variables to consider with ground and draw difficult to assess. Dance For Julie is the most likely to run a race, however, I would be careful in these conditions.

2:30 Thirsk
Colepeper ran well on debut when second to Gillburg and should appreciate this extra furlong. The form of that race isn't anything out of the ordinary and at a short price there may be each way value with a few in here. Happy Dubai is a good-looking juvenile and although running well last time I thought he may have done a little better. The first three beat the rest by a wide margin and he has proven he handles this ground which is a big plus. This 7f may be the key to improvement and I would certainly have him on the shortlist today. True Loves Kiss will appreciate this step-up in distance. I quite fancied this runner on her last outing but she took an age to get moving and clearly needs a test of stamina. Another of Alan McCabe's juveniles to move to Jeremy Glover, who could have a good day at Thirsk, she is worth noting. She ran in a restricted auction race at Redcar last time and in truth that was a fair race for its grade. I can see this filly running her best race to date. The lay-off is a slight concern but at a price she may have each way claims.
Bet: 1/2 PT EW True Loves Kiss (available at 16/1) (Unp)


5:15 Thirsk
Not a race I am particularly interested in beyond seeing how Tate's Pink Flames runs. I get the feeling this is the best of his two-year-old fillies. Costing 210,000gns this juvenile has been entered for a number of Group races and could well run a big race today. Tate has had a number of juveniles run for Mrs Fitri Hay and none have managed to win on debut, which is often a good time to catch this trainer's juveniles. It is never easy to win on first time out and it may be the case Tate is bringing on this owners horses in a steady fashion rather than firing them up for their first start. However, I would definitely take note of this juvenile as sooner rather than later Tate will unearth a decent horse for this influential owner.