Ralph Beckett is based in Hampshire, down in the South of England. This means it’s a fair few miles to any of the Scottish tracks. It could therefore be significant that he’s set to send just one runner on the 765-mile round trip to Hamilton on Friday.
The horse in question goes in the feature race which is a Listed race over 1m3f. Connections are likely to want some compensation for the substantial fuel costs of such a long journey. Check out our free tips page for daily content across British and Irish racing.
Salt Bay (5-2, William Hill) is lightly raced and has to be unexposed. Beckett’s three-year-old made a winning start to his career on debut at Haydock over a mile last year. Although the form of that maiden is somewhat patchy, both the second and third have won since. He followed that up with an excellent third in Group 1 company at Saint Cloud and the second boosted the form by winning a Listed race last time out.
We’ve only seen him once so far this season and it was a below-par effort over 1m2f at Newmarket back in May. He’s been given plenty of time to get over that and it’s likely that he’ll improve significantly for the run. Out of an unraced Galileo mare, there’s every chance that the step up to 1m3f here will suit.
This certainly doesn’t look like the strongest Listed race you’re likely to come across and presents an excellent opportunity to gain a valuable pattern race victory. We should see a fitter and stronger horse this time around and it’s hard to see him not making the frame. Connections won’t want to come home empty-handed and there’s a strong chance of picking up some decent prize money.
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