AMATEUR punter
Ben Morgan has hundreds of reasons to enjoy 1,000 Guineas
Itry not to get too involved with the Flat season until after Guineas weekend as I use the time between Aintree and Newmarket as a transition period. By then most of the early types have had a run and you’ve got a form line to go on rather than punt blind.
I was keen to follow a certain Nottingham form line as I thought it was a hot race for the time of year. That race was the race Astro King won and Finest Sound and Nugget finished placed. Both placed horses had won before Astro King lined up at Thirsk in their version of the Hunt Cup. Coral priced him up at 5/1 second fav on the first show and I thought that was a very fair price and duly wagered £20 e/w at that price.
That looked a good move as he got punted into 11/4 second fav behind the horse he beat at Nottingham, Nugget. Turning in for home at Thirsk I thought Richard Kingscote would just unleash him up the straight but it took him a while to really hit full stride and by the time he did he was always playing catch up. It was a similar story for the favourite and both were closing at the line but it came too soon and the race went the way of Storting who benefited from sitting prominently. I collected each way returns and looked forward to the 2,000 Guineas.
I hadn’t laid down any money in the first Classic of the season as I had been using my free bets for the previous five weeks on Battleground. I rate this horse very highly but he never really looked comfortable at Newmarket and ended up well beaten. I wouldn’t be losing faith in him just yet though and I’d quite fancy him to reverse the form at Royal Ascot.
The 1,000 Guineas was much kinder to me, however, as both my bets returned good profit. There had been too much talk about Santa Barbara for my liking and her price was just silly. I thought her stablemate, Mother Earth rated a sound each way bet given her two-year-old form and at around the 14/1 mark, I deemed her worthy of £10 each way and that obviously brought home a tidy profit.
My other fancy against the favourite was Fev Rover who looked a smart horse last year and seemed the ideal type to improve as a three-year-old. Again £10 each-way was struck but I managed to get 25/1 about Richard Fahey’s filly. She ran like a filly who is going to be pretty useful over 10f this year as she just lacked that finishing kick over the mile but still plugged on into a place and I certainly wasn’t complaining.
It was a profitable weekend and going into Chester’s May meeting I felt in decent touch for the time of year. Chester has a way of grounding you however and a number of fancies blew their chance at the stalls which just emphasises the fact that a low draw is irrelevant if you don’t break well.
There was the odd highlight and probably the most satisfying winner was Baryshnikov. An eye-catcher on return at Doncaster, I had noted him down as one to get on next time out and thankfully I backed and tipped him accordingly. You can’t be too confident at Chester for reasons listed above but once Connor Beasley negotiated the stalls I was pretty hopeful that this horse would at least hit the frame. He did the business, just, and more than made up for my losses.
A more experienced ride from Thore Hammer Hansen and I think I would have had the winner of the Chester
Cup as Coeur De Lion was boxed in by the eventual winner at a crucial point in the race. He stayed on to finish in the frame and is one to watch at Ascot if the ground comes up soft.
Everyone needs a helping hand every now and then and Paddy Power gave me one on the final day of Chester’s May meeting. I made El Astronaute a 1/2 shot in the Conditions stakes but PP were offering 15/8 and I just had to lump £50 on the nose. I was taking a punt on his fitness but he was levels above his rivals on form and the sharp 5f around Chester suits him down to the ground.
He broke from the stalls faster than I have ever seen a horse do and he immediately had a five-length lead. He didn’t see another rival until a few strides after the line and bought home what felt like easy profit.
That only made up for the distress I felt with White Turf at Market Rasen. As some may know he is one of the horses in my syndicate, Only Fools Own Horses, and a few may know just some of the problems we have had with him. Which is why it is such a relief to see him running so well recently and he was arguably unlucky not to win at Stratford and Uttoxeter.
We really fancied him at Market Rasen and everything looked set for a big run. Held up off the pace, Alex Edwards made his move as they turned into the straight and he hit the front in a matter of strides. He looked full of running until he made an absolute mess of the second last and lost countless lengths. He rallied and was gaining all the way to the line but was ultimately beaten by the shortest of noses. A cruel blow for all of his owners but we will go again!
Count D’Orsay was the first main fancy I had at York’s Dante meeting after he had stayed on powerfully from an unpromising position at Chester. He looked certain to go close at York on softish ground and I couldn’t have him out of the frame. Typically enough he was first beat and very nearly finished pulled up, and to rub salt into the wounds, the horse that won, Copper
Knight, had been beat comfortably by my selection just a week earlier. Work that one out, folks!
Fishable was probably one of my strongest fancies of the Flat season to date. The race at Ripon he ran in previously had worked out very well and I expected him to improve fitness-wise for that run. £25 each-way at 9/1 was struck and he duly got backed into 6/1.
He completely fluffed the start but I wasn’t too worried as I was that confident. As they turned in, David Allan began to make his move and he started to make inroads towards the leaders.
Two furlongs from home a gap appeared and just as he was about to sneak through, the door was not only shut but locked and he was forced to snatch up for 50 yards or more which meant his chance had gone. I was gutted as I was sure I had the right horse. Time will tell but I urge readers to keep him on side.