Sky Sports Racing’s Elliot David has five horses to watch on Monday at Wolverhampton and Windsor.
PHONE TAG – 1.50 Windsor
I mentioned earlier in this column that it is always worth taking a good look at horses up the weights in these tight nursery handicaps. As of Sunday, 98 of the 177 (55%) qualifying races run in Great Britain and Ireland had been won by a horse in the top three weights.
Hugo Palmer’s son of Havana Gray returns from gelding surgery with a promising 4th place in a higher category at Goodwood, coming from an unpromising position at the back having not traveled at the start of the race. You could improve on that performance and so he only lost 4-1 for a race at Thirsk on September 9; however, becoming agitated in the stalls, he ran too briskly on the 1m and probably missed his chance at the start.
Provided he performs well in the preliminaries and agrees to settle in better, he is surely capable of getting involved from that mark of 73 judged on his Goodwood effort and I think he can bounce back under the guidance of the three-time champion jockey Oisin Murphy.
It will be worth mentioning here Jonathan Portman’s Zinchenko, who should be adapted by a return to the grass and a step at 1 m. Portman won a Nursery on this card last year with Enochdhu and could have found a good opportunity for his charge on his handicap debut, having been outplayed on 6-7f so far.
SEA EAGLE – 3.20 Windsor
It would be fair to say that things have not gone as planned for William Haggas’ charge since returning from winter gelding operation. Making a late return on 3 August at Goodwood, he was unable to get involved despite having plenty to do on soft ground before running too keenly at Newbury on 29 August.
Haggas is now trying blinkers, an aid he has used to good effect for the past 5 years, with a 25% success rate (13-51) with horses wearing the aid for the first time. If they had the desired effect and a return to his form of two years ago was imminent, his reduced rating of 82 would seem achievable.
Three-year-old runners have won 7 of the last 8 renewals of this race and this time again I see the classic generation competing, led by Dream Of Mischief who defeated My Ambition on this course. and distance in July. The Haggas rug represents a beautiful alternative in each direction.
HAWRIDGE PRIDE – 4.20 Windsor
Hurdles experiment has been put on hold for the moment for Stuart Edmunds’ five-year-old, who returns to the level for the first time since October 2022 when trained by Rod Millman.
If he is able to return to form now he is back in this discipline, his current score of 63 is in fact his last winning score which came on his penultimate start for Millman at Ffos Las last September. With that in mind, odds of 20-1 (at the time of writing) might seem tempting for a horse who should be suited to the conditions here.
The usual cheeks worn for both victories are retained and although the form of the hurdles was not up to the standard of the winning runs, there were flashes of form suggesting the ability is still retained.
SHOW – 4.52 Windsor
Jonathan Portman looks to have a great chance of victory with his three-year-old daughter of Golden Horn, whose recent form at Bath has seen both winner and 3rd since. It was only a second handicap start and as the first was on an unsuitable pitch at Sandown, it was probably the first time we had seen anything close to his true abilities.
So it seems very likely that this filly has more to give and given that despite Bath’s strong form her mark has lost 1lb, she is in my opinion the one to beat here.
CHASE THE DOLLAR – 7:00 Wolverhampton
Our evening match at Dunstall Park is marked by this mile and a half handicap where I think David Loughnane’s five-year-old makes a good catch each way turned over on the synthetic surface.
You have to look at his form from two different angles, with an indifferent record of 1-15 on grass compared to two wins and five seconds in eight all-weather starts. This has been the story this year, with atrocious form on grass sandwiched by their narrow Racing League 2nd to Newcastle, beaten only by the progressive Glenister.
With this coming after running prominently on a stiffer track ½ furlong further, the return to a turning track and a marginal drop in ride could well suit David Loughnane’s runner. I would say its price is judged partly on its turf shape and anything in the double digits seems too big.