Saffie Osborne and Wales & The West head into Round Four of the Racing League with a commanding lead at the top of the jockey and team standings; watch every race on Thursday from Newcastle, live on Sky Sports Racing
Wednesday 30 August 2023 18:36, UK
Sky Sports Racing's Jamie Lynch takes a deep dive into Thursday's Racing League action at Newcastle with three best bets on the card.
The trio of track winners are LUCKY'S DREAM, WYNTER WILDES and TRUE COURAGE. Lucky Dream's split rating is probably tilted too far, Wynter Wildes might have maxed out based on Windsor, acknowledging her excellent course record, and so the last-named may be the most interesting of them as he's 1lb lower than when winning the equivalent leg at last year's Racing League, albeit requiring a rebound after looking off colour in two runs back (on turf) this season, and Michael Bell's squad is firing on all cylinders now.
What price would GLENISTER be if he was coming here straight off his hat-trick? Much shorter is the simple answer, considering he was 4-1-on at Bath when overturned, on his fourth race in two weeks, excuse enough, and he has since been freshened up, with two-and-a-half months off.
For a prominent racer he has some work to do early from stall 12, and the only horse wider is the sole 3-y-o, getting 9 lb weight-for-age, IMAGINARY WORLD, who found it a bridge too far last time (1¾m in a hot three-year-old handicap), but his prior form is strong. A double-figure draw is less of a worry for LIZZIE JEAN as she will be held up anyway, finding only one too good the last twice. She's had just the 10 races and one of those was in the St Leger.
Just eight runners for the nursery, half of whom are making their handicap debut, though only one of them is trying a new trip, BEECHWOOD STAR, who has also put in cheekpieces now after failing to meet expectations the last twice (went off 5-4 and 5-6), but his opening mark of 80 looks a stiff one. Richard Fahey's first string is CLASSY CLARETS who improved for second over this course and distance last time, beneficial experience of the track, and he has the same rider and draw this time.
The other three making their nursery debut all have something to recommend them: EBT'S GUARD took a turn for the better for getting on All-Weather last time (runner-up at Kempton), I'M PUZZLED has looked to be building to something, and TACTICAL CONTROL is from a family that suggests a mark of 72 will be beneath him, having gone off big prices in each of his qualifying runs.
DAN DEE PRINCE is officially ahead of the game, by 2lb (think of it like a length head start), as he's due to go up to 72 (when a 6-lb penalty here takes him to 70) for his Leicester win when 25-1, but there was no fluke about it, the step up to this trip the catalyst for him, at his strongest at the end.
RAY VONN is still a maiden and CRAVEN is winless on the All-Weather, but synthetics may be the key to DIONYSIAN whose two wins last year were at Kempton, also the scene of his revival a fortnight ago when fourth in a better handicap than this. He's still something of an open book. BILLY MILL was 28-1 when he won over this course and distance at last year's Racing League, likewise under Saffie Osborne, and he's peaking at the right time again based on his latest second at Kempton, beaten just a nose.
He's one of only two Newcastle winners in the line-up, though the other, VINDOBALA, is just as likely to plant herself at the start: she has twice refused to race this year including last month. YAASER was third to Raising Sand in the mile event in the Newcastle round of last year's Racing League, without much luck that night, and he's still 8lb lower now despite his recent resurgence, successful at Musselburgh in late-July and running well without getting the breaks when favourite twice since.
With his finishing speed, he won't be as inconvenienced as some if this gets messy, as seems likely with only the one identifiable front-runner (UNSUNG HERO). Yaaser and next-door neighbour (in 11) MOBASHR will be playing the same waiting game, one that suits Mobashr, twice a winner on All-Weather and the type to take well to Newcastle. Both of the solid swings for Team Ireland, HALF NUTZ and AKMAAM, are likely to be nearer last than first in the run, though the latter is maybe more of a miler, which will hurt if it does indeed come down to finishing speed.
There must be a temptation to play a Joker for Team Ireland when they have got CONQUISTADOR and NORDIC PASSAGE as a two-pronged attack. Conquistador was fifth in the Windsor round of the Racing League (EXPERT AGENT was third and TREACHEROUS fifth), but he's back on the All-Weather now (on which he recorded his two wins), and the tongue tie may help. Nordic Passage is bound to be thereabouts off the same mark as when beaten a nose at the Curragh, the same margin he lost out by at Chepstow in Round 2.
He won twice on synthetics in his younger days. Unusually for a sprint handicap it's hard to see where the pace is coming from. The "sleeper" SNASH is a possible for the vacant front-running role, having done it in the distant past, and he looked on the way back when fifth (third has won since) in the consolation Great St Wilfrid at Ripon last time, and Snash is 1/1 at Newcastle. A tepid 6f race might be no bad thing for RAZZAM who seemed suited by the drop to 5f at Yarmouth, on his first start for Mick Appleby.
The price he went off there (13-8 favourite) told a tale of what they thought they had got, and he duly delivered, probably just the start of something, only a three-year-old after all, while he was beaten just a neck on his previous visit to Newcastle. POCKLEY has won five times amongst previous visits to Newcastle but never off a break, and this will be his first start since April.
There are a few unusual three-year-olds grabbing the attention. Unraced at two, MIAMI THUNDER has been given new impetus by Daryll Holland after transfer from Ireland, finishing first then second at Newcastle, from the front both times, but over 1m, and he hardly goes like he wants further. The later starting (not until June) MOONSPIRIT, on the other hand, shaped at Chelmsford on her handicap debut as if this 1¼m was barely enough, and the question with her is can she keep up?
ROARING GALLAGHER isn't the horse Joseph O'Brien hoped he would be (contested a Group 2 after his winning debut) but, off a break, he caught the eye on his handicap debut at the Curragh last time, in a race that's already working out (second and fourth have gone in since). His mark of 91 could undersell him.
It's a matter of when and not if CAROLUS MAGNUS springs back to life for the Easterbys, given the impression he left at Chelmsford last time. There's some slack in his mark, whereas fellow five-year-olds STORM CATCHER and BASHFUL are probably handicapped to the hilt after their fine form this summer.
No three-year-olds have taken up an invitation, but there's still a horse who stands out from the crowd, PARLANDO having raced just three times in his life, the first two for Godolphin (then sold for £105,000) before shaping well for third in a Newmarket handicap on his return from a long lay-off, though that was not the usual 0-100 for the track. He has potential but will need to bring it against some hardened handicappers, several of whom are well treated themselves.
HELM ROCK jumps off the page in that regard, on his lowest mark in a year, and there are catalysts for a resurgence by him here, namely the return to All-Weather, the drop to a 0-90 and the union (for the first time) with the excellent Rossa Ryan.
TOSEN WISH is another with good reason for a revival, including first-time cheekpieces, and he's 1/1 on All-Weather. MOSTAWAA and MASTER RICHARD are liable to be vying for the lead, the latter the more interesting if he can control things (which is easier said than done on the straight mile at Newcastle) because he normally keeps better company than this, as recently as last week at the Ebor Festival when he did not take to either the cheekpieces or the patient ride (didn't settle).
Well, this is it, not just the best race of the night but the best of all the Racing League races since the competition began. There were one or two 100+ rated horses in each of the previous £100k races this series, but this time there are as many as five, and the top two are coming direct from Group sprints, the King George for SILKY WILKIE and the Prix Maurice de Gheest for ROHAAN, the former well able to carry big weights (second in Dash under 9-12), more at home at this trip than the latter.
Silky Wilkie will be in the first wave, but he will do well to beat FINE WINE to the lead. He goes very well here (twice a winner at Newcastle) and did best of the pace-forcers when third in the Gosforth Park Sprint Cup, since when he's been sidelined, maybe kept fresh for this very valuable race: he won off an absence last November.
The stronger the gallop the better for ALLIGATOR ALLEY, who's 2lb well-in off the same mark as York, for which the handicapper has raised him to 93 for his second to Equilateral. He has not been at his best in two visits to Newcastle, with some mitigation, though it's hard to forget how impressive BATAL DUBAI was at this track on Plate day. He was disappointing at the Shergar Cup subsequently, but he's 2/2 on All-Weather (both Newcastle), and 5f for the first time might be the making of him.
MOBASHR (6.45) - Didn't get the rub of the green at Windsor a fortnight ago, but straight running on the All-Weather is much more his bag, and this race maps out very well for him, including his high draw.
ROARING GALLAGHER (7.45) - The second and fourth winning subsequently paints an even better picture of his never-nearer sixth at the Curragh 18 days ago, on his return from a break, and he looks to be sitting on a peak performance now.
TOSEN WISH (8.15) - Has edged down the handicap without doing much wrong, in Premier Handicaps in Ireland, but looked to be coming back to the boil last time, and he's 1/1 on the All-Weather.
