Close call in Epsom bid
HUNTSMANS CLOSE can give his supporters a good run for their money in the Terry Mills & John Akehurst Handicap at Epsom tomorrow.
Robert Cowell’s charge is on his lowest mark for nearly three years, which probably is not a surprise given he has not actually won since 2015, but he has certainly not been bringing up the rear every time.
The seven-year-old is obviously not quite the force that saw him hit the career-high mark of 102 he achieved with Roger Charlton, but he remains a useful tool, particularly off his current perch of 88.
Huntsmans Close took a couple of runs to get going this term but he shaped with promise when beaten just a short head, conceding 1lb, by the reopposing Highland Acclaim here in July.
He has since gone to finish third in a moderate event at Yarmouth and while Huntsmans Close has to find that extra little bit with Highland Acclaim, he is worth a shout while in good heart.
Oh It’s Saucepot is on a roll at present and can bring up her hat-trick in the Molson Coors Handicap.
Chris Wall’s three-year-old found the winning groove after sliding down the handicap to a mark of 60 at Newmarket last month and showed she is even better than that when following up off a 6lb higher mark at Yarmouth.
She won in decent style that day but will obviously have to improve again to defy an extra 4lb here.
However, Oh It’s Saucepot is clearly coming on in leaps and bounds and her upward trajectory may not be finished yet.
Rodaini has been highly tried so far but can make use of a step down in class for the Follow At Attheraces On Twitter Conditions Stakes at Ripon.
Simon Crisford’s charge was a Listed winner at Doncaster last season and was subsequently tried in the very best company, finishing last in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf last autumn.
He shaped a little more promise when second in the Free Handicap on his return back in April but a lacklustre effort in the Heron Stakes at Sandown was following by another disappointing show at Group Three level at Royal Ascot.
Rodaini reverts to a mile, a factor which should be in his favour, and given he is upwards of 11lb better of each of his rivals on the official numbers, this should be a straightforward task. (19) M Channon 9-7 ........ S De Sousa (14) D Brown 9-7 .......................... H Crouch (3) (19) J J Quinn 9-6 (BF) ..................................... J Hart (24) E Dunlop 9-5 ...................................... D Probert (27) David Loughnane 9-4 ..Josephine Gordon (34)MUsher9-3 .......................... SDrowne (25) J Hughes 9-2 ..................... J F Egan (18) R Hannon 9-1 (D) ......... T Marquand (18) R Fahey 8-12 ......... Adam J McNamara (3) BETTING: 5-2 Lexington Grace, 7-2 Panophobia, 5 Seaella, 6 Another Day Of Sun, 15-2 Hard Graft, 12 Ruysch, 14 Diamond Pursuit, 16 Viceroy Mac, 20 Rainbow Jazz.
4-5fav Led 2f, led again over 1f out, ridden out, won at Newmarket 7f 2yo sll (5) sft beating Red Snapper by 2 1/4l, 6 ran. 5-1 Held up, headway and switched left over 2f out, ridden and stayed on inside final furlong, 3rd of 10, 1 1/4l behind Kikini Bamalaam at Musselburgh 7f 2yo hcp 0-65 (6) gf. 4-5fav Led, ridden and headed final furlong, kept on and held towards finish, 2nd of 3, 1 3/4l behind Miss Bar Beach at Newcastle 7f flls hcp 0-85 (4).
18-1 Tracked leaders, not much room over 5f out, ridden over 1f out, kept on inside final furlong, 3rd of 11, 2l behind Amazing Alice at Wolverhampton 6f 2yo nov stks (5). (19) A Balding 9-5 .............. Rob Hornby (45) G Baker 9-5 ................... P Cosgrave (11) E Dunlop 9-5 ......................... S De Sousa (31) S C Williams 9-5 ...................... Martin Harley M Johnston 9-5 .......................... J Fanning S Crisford 9-5 .................................. Oisin Murphy (11) M Channon 9-0 ............................ C Bishop (17) H Dunlop 9-0 .......................... W Carson BETTING: 7-2 We Know, 4 Lynwood Gold, 9-2 Raven’s Song, 11-2 Berkshire Spirit, 6 Iconic Code, 7 Global Style, 12 I’m A Star, 16 Colorado Dream.
11-1 Chased leaders, ridden to challenge over 1f out, stayed on same pace final furlong, 3rd of 9, 6l behind Victory Angel at Yarmouth 6f hcp 0-95 (3) gf. 15-2 Led early, tracked leaders, led over 1f out, clear inside final furlong, eased towards finish, won at Brighton 6f hcp 0-80 (4) gf beating Pour La Victoire by 1 1/2l, 11 ran. 10-3fav Prominent in centre, led overall halfway, headed inside final 2f, soon ridden and lost overall 2nd, no extra final furlong, 5th of 8, 6l behind Ice Age at Windsor 6f hcp 0-95 (3) gs. 5-1 Close up, ridden over 1f out, unable to quicken inside final furlong, 4th of 6, 1 1/2l behind Dark Power at Leicester 6f 3yo hcp 0-90 (3) gs. 20-1 Chased leaders far side, ridden and weakened over 1f out, last of 13, 21l behind Desert Law at Doncaster 5f hcp 0-95 (3) gd. 22-1 Raced far side, prominent, led halfway, hard ridden when headed over 1f out, weakened final furlong, 11th of 20, 7l behind Teruntum Star at Ripon 6f hcp (2) gd. (40) D Brown 6 9-12 ....................... H Crouch (3) 83 (25) Miss Amy Murphy 4 9-12 .............. S De Sousa 83 (11) K C-Brown 5 9-11 ............. Finley Marsh (5) 80 (34) R Fahey 4 9-10 ................. Adam J McNamara (3) 77 (26) C Hills 3 9-9 (CD) ............................. H Bentley 66 (45) R Beckett 4 9-8 (D) ...... Oisin Murphy 74 (4) M Channon 4 9-7 (D) ......................... J F Egan 71 (35) Eve J-Houghton 3 9-4 ...... RWinston 70 (25) P McEntee 10 9-1 (C2, D3)Josephine Gordon 94 (20) J Gallagher 4 8-8 (D) ................. D Sweeney 75 BETTING: 5-2 Coral Sea, 3 Flyboy, 11-2 Andalusite, 8 Munfallet, 10 Carpe Diem Lady, 12 Thaqaffa, Favourite Royal, 14 Tigerwolf, 16 Others.
7-2fav In rear, headway on outer over 1f out, ridden to lead when edged left inside final furlong, ran on, won at Epsom Downs 7f flls hcp 0-80 (4) gs beating Nightingale Valley by 1 1/2l, 8 ran.
5-1 Slowly away, held up mid-division, headway 3f out, ridden to lead over 1f out, just caught post, 2nd of 11, shd behind Pursuing Steed at Leicester 7f hcp 0-80 (4) sft in Jul. 5-1 Led, ridden over 1f out, headed inside final furlong, no extra towards finish, 3rd of 5, 2 1/2l behind Bumptious at Brighton 7f flls hcp 0-85 (4) gf. 10-3 Soon led, edged right to stands rail over 4f out, headed over 2f out, one pace, 5th of 9, 3l behind Bahamian Dollar at Chepstow 6f hcp 0-80 (4) gd in Jul. 9-2 Chased leaders, ridden over 2f out, soon beaten, weakened inside final furlong, 7th of 8, 5l behind Dandy Flame at Salisbury 6f hcp 0-75 (5) gf in Jul.
16-1 In rear, effort over 1f out, never dangerous, 7th of 9, 8l behind Badenscoth at Chelmsford City 1m 3yo hcp 0-80 (4) pol in Jul. HAN SOLO BERGER (39) K Dalgleish 9-9 (D) ...... P Mulrennan BONANZA BOWLS (13) B Smart 9-2 ...................... C Beasley FAKE NEWS (55) T D Barron 9-2 .............................. B A Curtis LUCKY LUCKY MAN (15) R Fahey 9-2 ................... T Hamilton SE YOU T Easterby 9-2 .......................... Rachel Richardson (3) SIOUX FRONTIER R Fahey 9-2 .............................. P Mathers DEBAWTRY (12) D O’Meara 8-11 .............................. P Makin HAVANA MARIPOSA (32) K Burke 8-11 ................... J Haynes NORTH ANGEL D Brown 8-11 .................................... T Eaves OUT LAST (15) K Dalgleish 8-11 ............................. R Scott (5) BETTING: 2 Debawtry, 9-4 Han Solo Berger, 7 Lucky Lucky Man, 8 Bonanza Bowls, 10 North Angel, 14 Sioux Frontier, 16 Havana Mariposa, 20 Se You, 25 Others. SHORT WORK (9) D O’Meara 4 10-0 (D2) ............... D Tudhope MANATEE BAY (41) N Wilson 7 9-10 (BF, CD) .. N Hambling (7) BARKSTON ASH (20) E Alston 9 9-9 (D10) ................. N Farley MARKET CHOICE (24) Miss T Waggott 4 9-9 (CD) .. C Rodriguez (5) EXTRASOLAR (29) G Harker 7 9-9 (D2) ...................... P Makin CLIFF (9) N Tinkler 7 9-9 (CD) ................ Faye McManoman (7) KI KI (32) B Smart 5 9-8 (CD) .................................... C Beasley SEMANA SANTA (24) T D Barron 4 9-7 (D) ............... B A Curtis WILLSY (3) Mrs K Tutty 4 9-5 (D2) ................. Gemma Tutty (5) YES YOU (6) I Jardine 3 9-5 (CD) .......................... J Gormley (7) YPRES (14) J Ward 8 9-3 (CD2) ..................................... K Stott MISCHIEF MANAGED (17) T Easterby 3 9-3 ........ D Fentiman LOTARA (17) J Goldie 5 8-8 ................................. S Mooney (7) KEENE’S POINTE (29) Steph Hollinshead 7 8-6 (D3) R Ffrench BETTING: 5 Yes You, 11-2 Short Work, 6 Ki Ki, 7 Cliff, 8 Semana Santa, 10 Market Choice, Mischief Managed, 12 Ypres, 14 Others.
9-4fav Tracked leaders, ridden to lead inside final furlong, ran on, won at Carlisle 6f 3yo hcp 0-70 (5) gs beating Kody Ridge by nk, 9 ran. 5-1 Made virtually all, clear 2f out, ridden over 1f out, ran on, won at Pontefract 6f hcp 0-75 (5) gd beating Penny Pot Lane by 1/2l, 7 ran. (29) J Boyle 6 10-0 ................................. P Cosgrave (26) W Muir 4 9-13 (D) .................... M Dwyer IWilliams59-12 .............................. SDonohoe (18) M Johnston 4 9-11 ................ J Fanning (21) S Kirk 3 9-1 ....................................... L Keniry (22) R Guest 3 8-13 ......................... D Probert (22) R Hughes 3 8-13 .................... S W Kelly BETTING: 5-2 Gold Merlion, 7-2 Hepplewhite, 4 Ode To Glory, 5 Let’s Be Happy, 8 Challow, 10 Cordite, 14 Spin Point.
10-1 Led, headed over 3f out, weakened over 2f out, last of 9, 18l behind Omotesando at Haydock 1m 4f app hcp 0-70 (5) gs. 8-1 Tracked winner, ridden 2f out, kept on one pace, 2nd of 6, 3 1/2l behind Ya Jammeel at Epsom Downs 1m 4f hcp 0-75 (5) gs.
5-1 With leader, led over 6f out, driven over 3f out, headed inside final furlong, no extra, 3rd of 8, 1/2l behind Raj Balaraaj at Windsor 1m 2f hcp 0-70 (5) gd. 6-1 Tracked leaders, outpaced over 4f out, plugged on in 3rd final 2f, 3rd of 9, 9l behind Medalla De Oro at Windsor 1m 3f hcp 0-65 (6) gs. 16-1 Led early, pressed leader, led again over 5f out, headed over 3f out, weakened over 1f out, 5th of 8, 13l behind Bolder Bob at Leicester 1m 4f 3yo hcp 0-70 (5) sft. 6-1 Keen tracked leaders, switched right over 1f out, kept on one pace, 4th of 10, 1 3/4l behind Boychick at Windsor 1m 3f hcp 0-70 (5) gd in Jul. 8-1 Held up, ridden in last and losing touch over 4f out, soon behind, last of 6, 23l behind Deep Challenger at Wolverhampton 1m 1f hcap 0-70 (5) in Apr. SQUIRE (20) M Attwater 6 10-2 (D) ....................... A Beschizza MARAAKIB (13) D O’Meara 5 10-1 (D3) ................... H Bentley THE GAY CAVALIER (18) J Ryan 6 9-12 (CD) ......... J Osborn (7) GALINTHIAS (20) S Dow 5 9-11 .......................... T Marquand PINK RIBBON (18) S Kirk 5 9-10 (D2) ............... M Godwin (5) OH IT’S SAUCEPOT (19) C Wall 3 9-7 ....................... T Durcan ROYAL HALL (21) G L Moore 5 9-6 ....................... H Crouch (3) AV A WORD (18) D Kubler 3 9-4 (D3) ..................... S De Sousa BAYSTON HILL (22) M Usher 3 9-4 (D) ................... D Muscutt RETRIBUTION (28) D Lanigan 3 9-1 (BF) ................. T Queally EPSOM SECRET (34) P Phelan 3 8-10 (D) ................... J F Egan BETTING: 5-2 Oh It’s Saucepot, 9-2 Av A Word, 6 Retribution, 7 Epsom Secret, 8 Bayston Hill, 12 Maraakib, Pink Ribbon, 14 The Gay Cavalier, 16 Others.
2-1fav Tracked leaders, went 2nd 4f out, led 2f out, ridden out, readily, won at Yarmouth 1m 1f hcp 0-65 (6) gs beating Castle Talbot by 1 1/2l, 7 ran. 3-1 Tracked leaders, ridden and effort over 1f out, led entering final furlong, stayed on, won at Brighton 1m 2f 3yo hcp 0-65 (6) gf beating Kings City by 1/2l, 7 ran. 5-4fav In touch, headway over 2f out, led over 1f out, headed inside final furlong, no extra towards finish, 4th of 7, 2l behind Free Forum at Yarmouth 1m 2f hcp 0-65 (6) gf. 20-1 Raced wide, in touch, ridden and weakened over 1f out, 7th of 8, 8l behind Koeman at Lingfield 1m 4f 3yo hcp 0-75 (5) pol in Jul. 6-1 Held up towards rear, headway over 2f out, weakened over 1f out, 6th of 8, 5l behind Raj Balaraaj at Windsor 1m 2f hcp 0-70 (5) gd. 10-1 Tracked leaders in 3rd, ridden over 2f out, faded inside final furlong, last of 5, 5l behind Save The Bees at Beverley 1m 2f hcp 0-85 (4) gf. 25-1 Led, ridden and headed 2f out, faded inside final furlong, 4th of 5, 6l behind Bedouin at Brighton 1m 2f hcp 0-80 (4) gf.
7-2 Tracked leaders, ridden over 1f out, headway to challenge entering final furlong, led final 100yds, won at Epsom Downs 7f 3yo hcp 0-75 (5) gs beating Benjamin Thomas by 1/2l, 5 ran. 6-1 Held up, pushed along over 2f out, went 4th inside final furlong, no impression, 4th of 5, 6l behind Peach Melba at Leicester 7f hcp 0-80 (4) sft. 8-1 Mid-division, ridden and headway over 1f out, kept on same pace, 8th of 11, 3 1/2l behind Hajjam at Redcar 7f hcp 0-80 (4) gs. 11-4 In rear, pushed along over 2f out, ridden and headway over 1f out, stayed on, not trouble winner, 2nd of 6, 1l behind Peachey Carnehan at Leicester 6f 3yo hcp 0-70 (5) gs. 33-1 Made all, ridden over 1f out, held on towards finish, won at Catterick 7f hcp 0-60 (6) gd beating Danot by 1/2l, 15 ran. ROSSALL ................................ P Mulrennan UNDERCOVER BROTHER (13) D O’Meara 9-7 (D) D Tudhope MAGIC MARK (45) K Burke 9-6 ................................. C Lee (3) PORCHY PARTY (29) T Dascombe 9-6 .................. R Kingscote MABLE LEE (25) I Jardine 9-5 (D) ....................... J Gormley (7) BROCKEY RISE (14) P Evans 9-4 ................. Ben Robinson (5) BILLIEBROOKEDIT (19) Steph Hollinshead 9-2 ..... R Ffrench ROCKET MAN DAN (73) K Dalgleish 9-1 ........................ G Lee HERMANA SANTA (14) T D Barron 9-0 ................... B A Curtis LIFE FOR RENT (19) T Easterby 8-13 .... Rachel Richardson (3) LINA’S STAR (28) R Fahey 8-12 ................................. P Makin BETTING: 9-2 Brockey Rise, 5 Porchy Party, Rossall, 6 Mable Lee, 7 Lina’s Star, 8 Magic Mark, 10 Undercover Brother, 12 Hermana Santa, 16 Others.
9-4fav Tracked leaders, ridden to lead inside final furlong, ran on, won at Carlisle 6f 3yo hcp 0-70 (5) gs beating Kody Ridge by nk, 9 ran. 5-1 Made virtually all, clear 2f out, ridden over 1f out, ran on, won at Pontefract 6f hcp 0-75 (5) gd beating Penny Pot Lane by 1/2l, 7 ran.
11-2 Held up mid-division centre group, ridden and headway over 1f out, led last 75 yards, held on well, won at Thirsk 6f fll hcp (5) gs in Jul beating Oriental Lilly by 3/4l, 9 ran. 7-1 Slowly into stride, towards rear, kept on inside final furlong, not pace to threaten, 6th of 10, 3 1/2l behind Sandra’s Secret at Pontefract 6f hcp 0-75 (5) gd. 12-1 Slowly away, behind, headway over 2f out, ridden and kept on inside final furlong, 4th of 11, 4l behind Maid In India at Doncaster 6f fll hcp (5) gd. 11-2 Tracked leaders and keen, pushed along over 2f out, kept on same pace, 3rd of 6, 5l behind Jacob’s Pillow at Hamilton 6f hcp 0-80 (4) gs. MR COOL CASH (14) R C Guest 5 10-2 (BF, D4) ......... C Beasley FULL OF PROMISE (19) R Fahey 4 10-2 (CD)...Sebastien Woods (7) JAY KAY (15) K Burke 8 10-1 (D2) ............................... J Haynes TELLOVOI (3) R C Guest 9 9-13 (D6) ........................... C Lee (3) TANAWAR (14) Mrs R Carr 7 9-12 (CD) ................... J P Sullivan PRETTY JEWEL (11) Kevin Frost 4 9-9 (D) ................... T Eaves ROBBEN RAINBOW (28) T D Barron 3 9-8 ............ R Scott (5) CATASTROPHE (12) J J Quinn 4 9-6 (BF) ................ D Tudhope LOZAH (15) Roger Fell 4 9-5 (D) ............................. T Hamilton SUPREME POWER (6) Miss T Waggott 3 9-4 .......... R Ffrench THORNABY NASH (10) Mrs K Tutty 6 9-4 (D)Gemma Tutty (5) LEOPARD (18) T Coyle 3 9-1 ................................... B McHugh EURO MAC (15) N Bycroft 5 9-1 (D) ..................... J Gormley (7) NEWSPEAK (29) F Watson 5 8-11 .................................. G Lee REDROSEZORRO (21) E Alston 3 8-11 ...................... N Farley PORT MASTER (56) Mrs A Duffield 3 8-8 ....................... S Gray HOT GOSSIP (14) Mrs D Sayer 3 8-3 ..................... D Fentiman BETTING: 6 Jay Kay, 7 Euro Mac, Full Of Promise, 8 Catastrophe, Mr Cool Cash, 10 Thornaby Nash, Lozah, Pretty Jewel, 12 Others.