With the flat season proper drawing to a close at Ascot on Saturday, attentions are now solely on Cheltenham. We’re less than a week away from The Showcase Meeting, where things really get started.
Monday kicks off the week with plenty of action, as Pontefract, Windsor, Plumpton and Wolverhampton serve up the British racing. Gowran Park brings the Irish flavour on a bumper day of racing.
Another Monday, and another chance to find some big priced selections! After a small hiatus, I’ve returned with some ambitious selections and can provide you with Owen’s Outsiders!
This isn’t a strong novices’ handicap, and could be a great opportunity for Amaretto to get off the mark. He was low-grade handicapper on the flat, rated 61 at his peak, and has raced three times over obstacles in novice events.
He’s shown some ability in those outings, with a career-best RPR of 90. He should find life much easier in handicaps, however, and this isn’t the strongest of contests on paper. His yard is among the winners and Page Fuller can boast of the same. The cheekpieces go on and with improvement possible, he needs considering.
He’s yet to show his true form in two starts this term, but Where’s Mick sits on a dangerous rating. Trained by Jedd O’Keeffe earlier in his career, he ran to a useful standard in maiden and novice events. Joining Richard Fahey in June of this year, he’s been disappointing since going handicapping.
He’s surely capable of far better, however, and a return to softer ground is a big positive on paper. On the best of his novice form, he’s well-handicapped and the yard has been in good form in recent weeks.
If he’s able to build on his two opening runs for Fahey, he’s surely got a big role to play in the finish of this handicap contest.
Costing an enormous 130,000gns as a yearling, Noble Heritage has raced just once for Joseph O’Brien. A half-sister to Pakistan Star, she’s beautifully bred and clearly well thought of given the price tag.
She’s been absent since her debut effort at Dundalk in December 2019, where she showed ability amongst inexperience. That was over the mile and stepping up to 1m 4f looks a very good move. She’s entitled to take a big step forward from that introduction, given her immaculate breeding, and she’s very easy to make a case for at bigger odds.