Good Morning, Friend

To Uttoxeter...

I hope you enjoyed the rest of your weekend. I managed to get to Old Hunstanton beach on Sunday to enjoy what could be the day of summer sun, although typically by 4pm the cloud had rolled in and there were spots of rain in the air!

Not too much to cheer on my Saturday trends efforts, neither 'profile' and shortlist including the winner, which can make my job a bit harder. Kempton was a bit naff for all I'm convinced John Butler's horse has more wins in him, evidently a hard one to catch right and maybe that race was just too deep for him, although missing the break and using up loads of gas to get prominent didn't help!

Hickory ran like an EW bet to nothing, no real excuse for all the 1-2 were in that position the whole way, my hunch is that the ground dried out just a bit too much for him, and I'd be interested again when some rain around. Maybe he'd like a stronger pace also.

It's been all go this end, given we decided to buy a new horse in Blazing Soldier to be trained in Yorkshire and to primarily race in the north. We initially had 75% to shift and I think we're up to 71% now, the majority newbies to our syndicate and indeed to the ownership game in general. A spread of ages, from 25 through to 89, and that's what it's all about.

Shortly I'm off to Uttoxeter to cheer home our Shandancer, more on him in a minute, but as I'm trackside have had a look 'through the card'

Uttoxeter 'through the card'

2.25 - Only Fools - 5/1 + (was 8s first thing, darn)

3.00 - pass

3.35 - Inishbiggle - 9/1

4.10 - Glorious Zoff - 6/1

4.45 - pass

5.20 - Jack The Farmer - 9/2

Before I get onto those with some notes and other 'lurkers'...

3.00... Shandancer...

Is this the day? Maybe. I've personally not backed him yet at 7/2, in my judgement that's about right and a shame he's not an EW price to nothing, but given he's lost his race twice before the start, when getting upset in the pre-race stables, I tend to hold fire until I see his demeanour in the parade ring, and his owners will be kept up to date from trackside via our WhatsApp group. I can't think he'll go shorter than this, but who knows. If the lad jumped every hurdle to his best, he'd prob be a 110-115 horse but he does get lazy at the odd one. If we'd have got him handicapped off a mark of 90-95, he'd have also won a couple by now, such is the game. He's a solid 105 ish horse and he keeps running to around that level but always finding one or two better treated. There isn't an attitude problem but Jack's under instructions to make sure he doesn't hit the front until he has to, that's if he runs to his best of course. We will be a bit more patient on him. We also think he's hated the blinkers/visor on last few starts when under pressure, so the CP are back on, as is the TT which may help him. His wind op stopped him hitting a flat spot 2-3 out, but maybe he needs some help there again.

The lad is due a holiday, this his 11th start for us since last November, but is showing all the right signs at home. After today's hurdle start he's hitching a lift to his new home at Dr Richard Newland's, where a change of scenary may help him (and the training fees are a bit cheaper! I mean he's currently in Newmarket after all) He'll also be getting what could be the first proper holiday of his life, before we see if there's a 2 mile all-weather horse under the bonnet, which we think there could be. He's won nearly 10k in place prize money and is the perfect syndicate horse for us all, but we're just desperate to get his head in front.

He should look menacing after 2 out if running his best, and then we'll see! I've no idea what Bumble Bee Bet will do here, could be a 115+ horse there and if so, we're all playing for second. Seinesational has the ability to win this, if the Irish raider flops, we could be battling it out. The others have a few questions, Climbing stopping quickly LTO but a return to form would see him thereabouts, i thought Fergal's may want further and I'd like to see more but he should step forward, a 3m point winner.

Anyway, a fascinating race and if Shan runs to his very best, and jumps adeqquatley enough, I'll be dissapointed if he's out the 3 again.

*

My 'TTC'...

Only Fools - well I thought Isabelle Bee may win this but at 7/4, I'll just have to watch. I think she may still be well handicapped and is progressive. But Pipe's offered a bit of value I though, IF the wind op has worked and IF she's tuned up. Her best efforts, inc at Worcester, would put her thereabouts here and a chance she enjoys the cut in the ground, her flat wins in France on softer. We will see.

Stat: Pipe/Uttoxeter/Class 5/ Handicap H : 7/25,11p, +13 last 5 years, 4/13,4p last 2. Here's hoping!

Inishbiggle - this could amount to sod all, you have been warned! But his last emphatic hurdles win was over 2m4f, in softer ground. This is his first time chasing he's back down to this trip and with ease under-foot. He gets 1st CP and a chance he tries to make all. It could be he's just bang out of form and had a problem since his hurdling days (inc a course win), but I get 9/1, 10/1 to find out, as on said form, this mark could look rather lenient over fences at some point. Everything in here has some sort of question and he's worth rolling the dice I think, for small money! Far from confident but in an open race he'll do.

My initial hunch was Getaway Luv but 4s couldn't tempt me in, now 11/2 though, and if drifts anymore may get a trackside £2 so I'm not too annoyed! I thought the step back up in trip was worth exploring.

Creative Control may go well although I thought wanted 3m over fences, I could be wrong. I did note that all his wins to date have been in November/December, 3/6,4p in those months all runs, so if he doesn't win beforehand, maybe worth noting for then. He's 1/4,3p over 3m as a chaser, will he find this too sharp?

Glorious Zoff - he appears to need holding up and delivering late, which always spells danger, but I'm hoping he just outclasses these. That's the plan anyway! I don't know what happened at Cartmel, maybe it was too soft, or he's now just out of sorts. Fergal is on fire, 6/19,9p the last 14 days, 3/6,3p with Liam H on in that time. 11/2 or so looked a shade overpriced to these eyes.

Jack The Farmer - this race was the original plan for Shan, but I thought it was shaping up to be too competitive and maybe 2m4f-5f is Shan's best trip, not sure. In any case, Horizon Dor and Jack The Farmer put me off as I stared at decs from 9.30 onwards, with a 10am cut-off, and a few others arrived in form also. I think the Fav should go well but Jack could be a shade of value against him, especially as Sean Bowen jumps back on, who won on him decisively 3 starts back. He enjoys a big field and solid pace and I still think room in his mark. He should be running on late, and a bare 3m could be his max, I'm not sure he fully got home over 26f at NA last time, having looked menacing 2 out. He did take an age to win and could just be a bit soft/a monkey, but 9/2 is ok, maybe the top two will fight this out.

A lurker could be Mactavish... keep an eye on him, second start for Matt Shepard, and that's a fair trainer upgrade for me from D Thompson. It's interesting they now step him up from 16f to 3m, I've no idea if that will suit but has been nibbled at this morning. He certainly shaped last time as if wanting further than 16f and this is an unknown, and a reason for improvement. He showed enough for David T to suggest Matt will win something with him from this lowly mark, at some point. Having said that I'll now have to have some trackside change on him also!

*

As always, do with those musings as you please. It's generally low grade racing and the animals can be harder to predict, but here's hoping. And do cheer home Shan, he'll appreciate it!

Thanks for reading,

Josh