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Don't Tell Mary lands Hilary Needler at Beverley.
As we indicated in this morning's story, (see below), trainer Tom Dascomb was fairly keen on the chances of Don't Tell Mary in this evening's Listed Hilary Needler Trophy at Beverley, and supported down to eleven to four favourite, she duly obliged, setting her up to progress up to Group class for her next race.
Star comfortable as favourite blunders.
In this evening's feature race at Punchestown, the Enhanced Marketing Chase, the Tony Martin trained Royal County Star was travelling alongside odds on favourite Jayo when the market leader made a serious blunder at the third last. Asked to quicken by Davy Russell just before the second last, Royal County Star lengthened, and eventually ran out a comfortable winner of this evening's prize by two and a half lengths from Holly Tree.
Sariska pleases in gallop.
Investec Epsom Oaks favourite Sariska had a training gallop on the Lime Kilns at Newmarket this morning, and according to all concerned she looked very impressive for big race jockey Jamie Spencer. If only a quarter of the reports on the filly ar correct, she has come on since her win in the Musidora Stakes earlier this month, and she certainly seems the filly to beat at present.
Leocorno will miss Oaks!
As we predicted earlier in the week, leading Oaks fancy Leocorno will not now run in the Investec sponsored Classic at Epsom. Sir Michael Stoute has convinced connections the filly is not yet ready to compete at the highest level, and an alternative campaign will now be sought to develop her obvious promise at a more gradual pace.
It would appear the Stoute stable will now rely on the Ryan Moore ridden Phillipina, and possibly the Frankie Dettori ridden July Jasmine as their Epsom Oaks contenders.
Hills to replace Holland at Epsom.
Trainer Mick Channon has today confirmed he has booked Richard Hills to replace the suspended Darryl Holland aboard Younzain in the Coronation Cup, and Montaff in the Epsom Derby.
Osborne hoping for drying weather tomorrow.
Having already pulled Geordieland out of two races due to a soft racing surface, Jamie Osborne had hoped his Ascot Gold Cup runner-up would get a sound surface for tomorrow evening's Henry II Stakes at Sandown Park.
However, the current rain is forecast to continue until later this evening, and this leaves Osborne hoping tomorrow will be a drying day, so as to give his old campaigner a chance against current favourite Patkai. Speaking earlier today, Osborne commented,
"No matter which way the weather goes, we have to give him a run tomorrow, but I would prefer track conditions to be no worse than good to soft if he is to stand any chance of winning".
Major fancies line-up for Goodwood Sussex Stakes.
At today's decleration stage, fifty seven horses have been entered for the Group 1 BGC Sussex Stakes at Glorious Goodwood. Aidan O'Brien likes to win this particular race, and Saturday's Boylesports Irish 2,000 Guineas winner Mastercraftsman is amongst the entrants for the one mile contest.
The Irish raider is currently joined by the top rated horse in the world, Gladiatorus, now with the Godolphin organisation, the Mike de Kock trained Archipenko, who finished fourth in last year's running of the race, and Paco Boy, the latter having won the Betfair Cup at last year's Goodwood meeting.
Oxx gives cold comfort to anti post punters.
In an interview with the Times, County Kildare trainer John Oxx has dampened Epsom Derby expectations about his Stan James 2,000 Guineas winner Sea The Stars. Although a half brother to Galileo, Oxx points out the horses on the dam's side of the pedigree are not known for middle distance prowess, and this means the trainer estimates Sea The Stars only has a fifty fifty chance of staying the Investec Derby mile and a half.
Although Oxx goes on in his interview to point out his horse is tough and will put in a good run on good ground, the initial part of the newspaper article will not be welcome news to the many anti post punters who piled into the Guineas winner after his success at Newmarket.
Further cold water came in the form of an interview given by Oxx to the Racing Post, where he indicated soft ground at Epsom would almost certainly rule out an attempt on the Classic by Sea The Stars.
Based on all this information, for the sake of anti post punters, it is to be hoped the warm spell promised for the end of this week stays in place until the following weekend, and that the going at Epsom is on the firm side of good. Either way, these negative comments are likely to witness Sea The Stars drifting in the pre Derby betting markets.
Kid has rough passage to Ireland.
Michael Bell has sent The Betchworth Kid on the ferry to Ireland for tomorrow's Seamus and Rosemary Mcgrath Memorial Stakes, but the reported rough seas for the crossing have now left him concerned his four year old will not show his best in tomorrow's race.
If he does regain his land legs in time, the 'Kid' will have to overcome top hurdler Sublimity, along with proven flat performer Donegal, both of which come from the Robbie Hennessy stable.
Murphy boycotting Wetherby until track problems resolved.
For the second summer in succession, Wetherby racecourse are having to undertake remedial work on their steeplechasing course. The problems have arisen since the re-alignment and widening of the A1 in 2007 caused the racecourse to alter its initial tracke layout. But many trainers wer unhappy with the results of the 2008 work, with Ferdy Murphy referring to the new track as, 'like a bag of liquorice", and as a result of his views, the trainer has refused to enter his horses in races at Wetherby until the track problem is resolved.
A spokesperson for the Yorkshire venue has insisted the Wetherby management are doing all they can to resolve the problems, and they are hopeful the new work this summer will finally iron out the remaining problems with the new racing surface.
Courses very pleased with Bank Holiday crowds.
It is beginning to look like race-goers are ignoring the recession when it comes to bank holidays, for the crowds at last Monday's racing cards were very pleasing for all the courses staging their usual holiday programmes.
Cartmel ruled supreme, and its total of fourteen thousand spectators was only marginally down on last year, while Goodwood's just over nine thousand race-goers was bang on estimates.
However, Redcar with four thousand visitors was around five hundred up on the 2008 figure, and Carlisle also showed an increase of four hundred race-goers, with a final visitor figure approaching three thousand eight hundred.
If the industry can start to find a meaningful marketing strategy, these holiday figures indicate not only can the industry hold its own during a recession, with the right policies in place, the current down-turn could actually form the spring-board for future growth as the general economy improves.
Dascomb hopeful Don't Tell Mary will step up.
Trainer Tom Dascomb has two fillies in today's Listed Hilary Needler Trophy at Beverley, and while he is hopeful Bath winner Don't Tell Mary will use her good draw to best effect, he feels Warwick victor Quaker Parrot will have to improve if she is to figure in today's race. Speaking about his entrants in an interview yesterday Dascomb said,
"I liked Don't Tell Mary before her winning debut at Bath, but I didn't think we would be able to beat odds on favourite Toga Tiger, but we did, and either that one did not run up to the form of its previous race, or we're better than I thought. If the latter is true, then we must have every chance in the Hilary Needler".
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