Brighton 3.40

 

Tony Carroll can never be ignored at the Course nor at this Meeting and throws in 4 horses. De Vegas Kid who has Course and Distance form but mostly running in Class 5 and 6 races and River Wharfe, who has been struggling in this sort of level and who goes without cheek-pieces that have been present on some of it's better runs are hard to be particularly confident about. Kondratiev Wave off for 99 days and possibly more progressive than the first pair would have a more realistic chance and if you believe the market then his best chance would be Poetic Force whose recent form mostly here is 2-1-2-2, its seems happiest in small fields though, so all things considered I'll ignore TC in here, hopefully not to my peril and hindsight!

 

My Boy Jack is a 3 year old who may have some scope, has recently joined Kevin Phillipart Du Foy and has to be feared off this mark but lacks Course form and experience. Uncle Dick is a disappointing Maiden who looks short price to me for what it's achieved so far and at the top of the market I don't think that English Spirit nor The Covex Kid, despite the latter's great recent form, are particularly good value.

 

Eve Johnson-Houghton has been in good form for a fair while and 9n addition to Uncle Dick she runs GRANARY QUEEN who ticks all the boxes for me. Form figures of 1-3-1 including here; goes up to a mark of 71 but that seems fair enough on some consistent form and in the top 5-6 of the market it's the one i'd have most confidence in.

 

ZULU GIRL is a Course and Distance winner who won this race last year for the Kubler yard off a mark of 75 in the midst of a prolific run of form. The handicapper has not surprisingly been in charge since that run but it's dropped now to a mark of 77 and it would be no surprise if this race hasn't been a long term target since last year.

 

The one I most like at the bottom of the big priced end of the market; who could really outrun big odds is DARVEL. Patrick Chamings and Hector Crouch are no mugs here, the horse has dropped to a nice mark, loves Good to Firm Stall 12 is a niggle but at the price, a small investment could pay a nice e/w return.