Hello, Friend

I hope you're having a great week.

Before I move onto Fontwell, to Chester... I had a flick through HRB looking for some trainer and/or jockey stats of interest and while only a brief look, I didn't find too much. However, below are three 'trainer jockey combos' to keep an eye on, all runners, stats for the last five May Meetings...

-Aidan O’Brien / Ryan Moore: 24 bets / 14 wins / 21 places (inc wins) / +28 BFSP

-JJ Quinn / Jason Hart: 9 bets / 3 wins / 5p / +14 BFSP

-D O’Meara/ Danny Tudhope: 9 bets / 3 wins / 3p / +6 BFSP

The big two team up in the 2.40 (8/13, short) and 3.15 (11/4). I'm yet to look whether others have any runners rest of the week but worth noting if so, for all small sample sizes.

Our Shandancer runs at Fontwell in the 5.45pm today, but first, it's been all go with our new Summer Syndicate horse, Endlesspossibility.

Thanks to Richard Newland, Dan A, his racing secretary Pheobe and an agile BHA (!), the horse is now in our name and should be running in our colours, making his debut for us this Friday at Market Rasen (2.15pm). He'll be doing his best and it looks a winnable race, but whatever he does he'll qualify for a handicap mark afterwards and will be better when stepped up in trip. However, it would be great to start with a bang!

If you'd like to potentially be a winning owner this Friday and visit Market Rasen, we still have a few shares left in him. Do get in touch :) 

*

To Fontwell...

We're hoping Shandancer bounces back to his best, which was probably his Huntingdon effort. If he does, I think he'll mix it here in a race which lacks a bit of depth. The favourite looks well fancied of course, unexposed, decent run when last seen in a C3, but evidently he has a mixed profile and has had another 95 days off. Maybe they found an issue and fixed a problem. He still has to prove he can respond to pressure, battle and finish off his races, but if he repeats/builds on LTO, we may have to settle for 2nd at best. He will appreciate this distance. The two Anthony Honeyball horses are interesting, if fit and here to run their race, the market may guide. Neither winning would be a shock.

Shan was 7/1 last night, I'm not sure who backed him into 3s, which was too short. None of it my money sadly! Darn. I thought 7s was too big, esp EW, but have missed the boat there! Still, that's always just the cherry on top. If we can get him back to his best runs, we'll find a winnable race or two for him in the coming weeks. You can put a line through his last run, getting upset pre race in his box, sweating out, he wasn't himself. In any case that CD on proper soft probably stretched him also. We gave him a wind op after as a chance that's been catching him out the last twice, but time will tell whether it makes a difference. He's in good form at home, fit and ready to race.

We've got 8 of his owners heading to the track today and it's my first visit in O&T, so I'll see what that's like.

For my sins I've had a flick 'through the card', horses to note, or avoid!, below...

Through The Card

17.10 - Mullinaree - has finished ahead of Shan a couple of times and is a few lbs higher than when ahead of us at Sedgefield, the hood and prominent tactics appearing to make a difference. I thought he'd try and make all again and set a solid standard here. 5/2 isn't overpriced but with 'winners' eyes, rather than long term value, he'll do for my track side change / placepot.

17.45 - Shandancer - too short now I think, maybe he'll creep back out to 5s which would be ok. Evidently if repeating his last two runs he won't be in the places, if he gets back to Huntingdon form, he should be top 3 at least. The fav has been well backed and could just make all, we shall see.

18.15 - Doyens De Ante - the CP appear to have helped, winning well at Chepstow LTO. He stays well, solid jumper. Evidently these are all moderate. The niggle with him is whether this switch-back chase track could be too sharp for him - possibly. If he does run naff, do note for when returning to a more galloping course, as he must have another C5 win in hiim based on LTO. He had Felton Bellevue behind that day and I wasn't sure why he overturns the form, unless the nature of the course brings them closer. Honeyball's is solid, but too short for me, unexposed but at this stage hard to know what he's achieved. No shock winner of course.

18.45 - Lanspark - I thought he looked solid enough at 10/3, ran well for his new yard LTO, could come on for it a bit, slightly further and this CD takes more getting, so could be interesting. Has some ok back form. He does need more but I wasn't sure two above him in market have achieved much more, Royal Lake has to prove stamina over extra 2f, which he might, not sure. Gordon's could run well, will like the ground, prob needed his last run, but is up in class, for all may not take much winning. I may have picked the wrong one of two there but Lans was a double C4 winner for the Tizzard's and if can get back to that level, should be bang there. Worth noting more generally that Chris Gordon and Rex Dingle are 6/12,8p together in the last year.

19.15 - Doyen For Money - Just solid and you'd like to think much more to come, I could see him following up for all hard to know what his form is worth as yet, but again, a weak enough contest.

I may have a nibble on Electric Annie at 8s or so. She could just be out of sorts but the yard is in better form and she will appreciate a return to hurdles. If she gets back to her best hurdling form, she'd go very close in a race like this and is looking well treated again. Stan Sheppard is a big jockey upgrade on her recent inexperienced pilot. She's more interesting than most and will pop up at some point, maybe today, maybe back against mares.

19.45 - PawPaw - 5s looked solid I thought, running well LTO but maybe not getting home. He won fairly comfortably the run before that over this sort of trip. Back down in distance here and the visor back on, which he won in two starts back. He's in form and should go well.

An Marcach - a risky one at 14s/16s or so, but he bled from the nose when last seen. It could be that he's now best fresh, first start in 97 days, and this 'could' be the time to catch him. It could not of course and he could bleed again, but on his best efforts, 85 would look lenient if returning to any sort of form. He may try and make all also. Not one to go mad on but a big effort wouldn't be a total shock to these eyes, in what's a mediocre contest.

I'll pass on the bumper!

Do with those thoughts as you please, hopefully I won't have a shocker, as always with a 'through the card', you can only spend so much time on the runners and riders!

Good Luck with any bets,

Josh