6.45pm Kempton Tips & Betting Preview 05/04/2017

This is the second division of the maiden at Kempton, see our betting tips and the full race preview below.

IN SUMMARY: Archer’s Arrow sets a clear standard but he’s been slightly disappointing in three starts to date and KOEMAN is a tentative selection. He has a very strong piece of form to his name with a small-margin defeat to the highly regarded Swiss Storm and he can win this off a seasonal break. Dhalam is the interesting newcomer, well-bred and purchased for 160,000 Euros as a yearling.

1 DOODLE DANDY – Only 4yo in the race and she has a lot of weight to give away under today’s terms. She was picked up for £4,000 as a 3yo having been sold for 39,000GNS as a 2yo and she’s obviously had issues which have kept her off the track. She was very well-beaten in a National Hunt Flat race over 2 miles earlier this year and makes her flat debut today. Impossible to recommend.

2 ARCHER’S ARROW – Three seconds to his name and he’s starting to become frustrating having been well-beaten on his last two starts. He’s run to a fair level of form but he’s nothing out of the ordinary and whilst he sets the standard off a mark of 82, he still has to convince he’s up to this level. Saeed bin Suroor has an outstanding strike rate (26%) and he may be worth one more chance upped in trip. Oisin Murphy has a 23% strike rate in the last 14 days.

3 DESERT EXPLORER – 25,000GNS purchase as a yearling and he’s related to a few nice sorts. This trip looks a good starting point for this son of Henrythenavigator and connections have already gelded him which suggests he may not be the most straightforward. Ed Greatrex claims a valuable 3lbs but others are slightly more attractive in this and he’s best watched on debut.

4 DHALAM – Pricey purchase as a 2yo, costing a cool 160,000 Euros. He’s by Lohro who won 12 of his 18 starts in Australia from trips as low as 6 furlongs right up to 1m 2f. This trip looks the right starting point on debut and it’ll be interesting to see his blend of speed and stamina for a yard that are excellent with these types of horses. Frankie Dettori takes the ride which is obviously eye-catching and he’s an interesting prospect on debut.

5 KOEMAN – Ran an excellent race as a 2yo, finishing behind Swiss Storm in a Newbury Class 4 maiden by 3 1/4 lengths. He couldn’t follow that up in two similar contests at the end of the year and he probably needed a break to gather himself and develop. There should be lots more to come based on his first run at Newbury and his trainer has been in good form of late with 2 winners from 10 runners. Deserves a market check.

6 LEOPARD – 40,000GNS yearling and he’s the son of the talented Iffraaj. He hadn’t show too much promise on two outings on the All-Weather towards the end of last year and he’s been gelded over the winter in an obvious attempt to straighten him out. He may just need this run off a 133-day break for a yard operating at a fair 11% strike rate at Kempton. He will receive a mark after today and he may be seen to better effect on the turf.

7 ZAMALIGHT – A good bit of business saw this colt picked up for 2,600GNS as a yearling and sold on for 40,000 Euros as a 2yo. He clearly developed over that time and it was no surprise to see him turned out so late last year, finishing sixth of eleven over a furlong shorter than today’s trip. May be better as a 3yo and one to keep a close eye on going forward. Has been handed a tricky draw in stall 8 and others make more appeal.

8 DARCEY LOU – Well-beaten in two handicaps to date over 6 and 7 furlongs at Kempton. She should handle this step up in trip based on breeding but her SP’s of 50/1 twice reflect the promise she has shown and it’s likely to be a similar story here. This yard does better with their handicappers and she’s one for another day.

9 VAUDIEU – Related to a few sorts that were better over further and this Bated Breath filly is worth a second look in the betting. She was sold for £16,000 as a yearling and should have an excellent blend of speed and stamina based on her pedigree and she could turn out to be a nice enough filly for this yard. May just need this on debut but certainly wouldn’t be a surprise to see her win.