Current Gambles

After a bad patch Michael Stoute’s horses are starting to hit form again, in the past 7 over half his runners have finished in the first 2. His runner in the opener at Goodwood today, London Stripe, has been well backed.
London Stripe improved plenty for his debut as a 2yo to win a 7F Yarmouth maiden, staying on really well at the finish to win by a half length from Mass Rally, who won his next two outings and is now rated 94. It was no surprise to see him upped in trip on his seasonal debut when he landed a 1M 2F Newmarket handicap off 83.
He was raised 5lbs for that win and ran by far his best race to date last time when runner-up in the 1M 4F King George V Stakes (handicap) off 88. He was ridden to challenge 2F out but got headed entering the final furlong and was only beaten 3/4L by Dandino, who was beaten a head in the group 3 Gordon Stakes early this week. The 3rd, Caucus, was 3rd in the group 3 Bahrain Trophy next time out while the 4th, Bay Willow, has gained 2 wins and a second from 3 subsequent starts, the latest win coming off a 13lbs higher mark. The 6th won next time out off the same mark and the 7th was placed in a big handicap here yesterday off 2lbs lower.
Considering how well the form of London Stripe’s 2nd last time out has worked out, a 7lb rise in the weights does not look overly harsh. The 1M 2F on fast ground will suit and with Ryan Moore on board you can expect him to go very close today.

Kevin Prendergast has gained 2 wins and a place from his 7 runners in this race in the past decade and Prendergast and Declan McDonogh have been teaming up to great effect in the past week, gaining 2 wins and 4 places from 6 runners together in the last 7 days.
Mujaazef gained his maiden win over 7F at Listowel on soft last season and has put together 4 good runs this season. He won first time out this season over 1M 1F at Cork and the was a staying on 2nd in two 6F handicaps on his next two starts when he looked likely to need further.
He encountered some trouble in running on his latest start when having to cede ground by racing wide in a 1M Leopardstown handicap, and then staying on well for 2nd off a mark of 94. He has been raised to a mark of 97 for today but has been given a good draw in stall 18 and with trip and ground to suit he looks likely to go close assuming Declan McDonogh can secure a good early position for him.

Opera Gal has put in 3 good efforts on her 3 runs this season and is being well backed today.
She was runner-up in a 1M 2F Lingfield classified stakes on her seasonal debut, beaten into 2nd by Life And Soul, who was 2nd in a valuable class 2 handicap at the Epsom Derby meeting off 79 two runs later.
She looked suited by the step up to 1M 4F on her penultimate start when 4th in a Musselburgh handicap off 81. She took a keen hold early on and as a result of that faded inside the final furlong. The form of the run has worked out very well. The 3rd and 1st finish 1-2 in the group 3 Bahrain Trophy. The runner-up won a Kempton maiden by 12 lengths on latest start and the 5th gained 2 wins and 2 seconds from his 5 runs since.
Opera Gal gained her maiden win last time out when landing a 1M 4F Warwick maiden by an easy 10 lengths.
Andrew Balding’s horses are in good form, in the last 4 days he has had 3 winners and 2 places from 8 runners. Frannie Norton takes the ride and he has ridden 3 horses for Balding this season, producing a 10/1 winner and a 20/1 second. Opera Gal runs from 2lbs out of the handicap, off 82 today, thought her current form suggests she should be capable of winning off this mark and the fact that Fran Norton is doing a low weight of 7-12 for this ride looks significant.

Amanda Perrett’s horses are in top form at the moment. In the past 10 days she’s saddled 3 winners, 2 seconds and 3 thirds from 14 runners, including an 11/4 winner at Newmarket earlier today. She sends one to Salisbury this evening for the 8.10 and it is a race she has won twice in the past 3 years.
Coiled Spring showed plenty of promise in 3 maidens as a 2yo and as a result was given a lofty official rating of 87 for the start of the 2009 season. As a result he ran in just 2 maidens last year, finishing 3rd of 11 over 1M 2F at Brighton and 4th of 12 over 1M 4F at Thirsk.
After finishing 6th of 9 in a 1M 4F Goodwood maiden first time out this season Coiled Spring made his debut in handicap company off a mark of 72, when he finished 7th of 8 in a 1M 4F handicap here at Salisbury.
He dropped to a mark of 70 for his latest run when 4th of 7 in a 1M 2F Newmarket handicap. The race was run at only a steady pace and as a result Coiled Spring was found out for a turn of pace when the tempo was upped a furlong out.
The step up to 1M 6F today should suit Coiled Spring and the handicapper has cut him some slack by dropping him to a mark of 66. Perrett has booked Richard Hughes and he does ride this track particularly well. At 9/1 he looks decent value to break his maiden.

Mark Tompkins makes the 158 mile journey to York this evening for just one runner, Ice Magic in the 7.00 and he’s booked Ryan Moore to ride. There has been good support for the colt to build on a promising debut.
Ice Magic is by 2004 Coventry winner, Iceman, who won his maiden on his second start as a 2yo and also went on to finish 3rd in the group 1 Middle Park stakes as a juvenile. He is a half brother to two multiple winners in Sherman McCoy and Exceedthewildman.
Ice Magic showed his inexperience on his racecourse debut by starting very slowly and then running green before staying on well over a furlong out to finish 4th in a 6F Leicester maiden. The form of the run has been boosted by the winner, Roayh, finishing 3rd in the Coventry behind Strong Suit and the 2nd and 3rd both finishing runner-up on each of their next two starts.
Ice Magic will have learnt plenty from his first run and with Tompkins getting the eye-catching booking of Ryan Moore, he looks a fair each way bet at 10/1 in William Hill.

Bill Turner’s 2yos are hitting form and his juvenile runner in the 7.30 Beverley, My Lord, is being well backed today. Turned gained just 2 winners from 25 juvenile runners in the first half of the year, however he has already matched that total in July, gaining 2 winners from 8 runners aged 2 this month. Turner has also done well in claimers this season, winning with 3 of 11 runners in this sphere, and his only 2yo runner in a claiming stakes was a winner.
My Lord made a winning debut in a 6F Yarmouth seller, travelling strongly throughout he was sent to the front 2 furlongs out and held on well to win by a length.
He never settled off a slower pace in a 6½F selling stakes at Newbury last time out, getting collared for 2nd late on. He was conceding weight to the field and only finished 5 lengths behind the winner Captain Dimitrios, who was runner-up in a nursery off 64 next time out.
The drop to 5F today should mean there is a stronger early pace, which will suit My Lord. Jack Dean who has been on board for his first two runs is on again today and he shows a profit on Turner’s 2yos this season. At today's weights you would expect My Lord to make the frame in this low quality claimer.

Peter Bowen’s horses could hardly be in better form at present. In the past week he has saddled 6 winners from 7 runners and this is a race he has done particularly well in lately. He has trained the winner in 3 of the last 4 years, though he has saddled 16 runners in the past 4 runnings. The fact that he relies solely on Valley Ride in the race today could be significant.
Valley Ride’s record over fences on good or firmer reads 1213 (2-2-4) and his one run here at Market Rasen came over today’s 2M 6½F trip when he landed a listed handicap chase off 125 under today’s pilot Donal Devereux, who has won on him twice from 4 times on board.
Valley Ride was off the track for over 5 months before winning a 3M 1F Southwell handicap hurdle on good ground in June. With that run under his belt he was sent back over fences and he ran a cracker in the Summer National, staying on best of all at the finish to take 3rd, only beaten 2½ lengths off a mark of 129 under Tom O’Brien.
He has gone up 3lbs for his last run but Devereux’s 5lb claim helps balance that. We know he is suited by this course and distance and he will relish the good ground. With Peter Bowen’s horses in such good form and his very good recent record in this race, a big run has to be expected from Valley Ride.