There is the prospect of further rain at Newton Abbot ahead of today’s card where conditions were described as good to soft on Sunday morning.
Tanrudy (4.05) was no match for Cape Robin at Worcester last time but has winning form on soft ground and may not be as inconvenienced as many in the field if it turns soft. The ew selection – 5s with 10Bet – won on heavy ground from a mark of 96 earlier in his career and can race off 87 this afternoon. As a son of Presenting, he would prefer good ground, but he does act on soft and that might be the key today against a field of summer jumpers.
At Lingfield this evening Jamie Spencer is reunited with Oriental Art in the 3-y-old 10f handicap, but I wonder if this drop back in trip will suit David Simcock’s three-year-old who has been ridden from well off the pace in his last couple of starts. He is handicapped to win at present but cannot afford to get too far back around these tight turns. Indeed, I wonder if Spencer will go forward from stall one.
Hollie Doyle got a good tune out of Livia The Empress (8.05) when the filly finished runner up over this evening’s C&D back in January and the 3-y-old looks to be improving given she was a fluent scorer at Beverley last time. That success was gained on soft ground from a 5lbs lower mark, but she travelled through the race like much the best horse, and I hope she can transfer that improvement back to this synthetic surface. Thde ew recommendation is 6s with MansionBet.
I hope it’s a good night for trainer George Scott who saddles Livia The Empress and Sarvan (8.35) who is taken to land the concluding 10f handicap for older horses. The selection bounced back to form when second at Windsor on soft ground last time and he gets the vote with Jamie Spencer taking over in the saddle. This will be the gelding’s first run on polytrack, but he ran a terrific race on his sole previous all-weather start on tapeta back in February.
Spencer was in the plate when the 4-y-old was a beaten favourite at Doncaster in a stronger race than today. He only has a Pontefract maiden win to his name, but the grey has only had eleven career starts and is open to a bit more improvement. The selection is 4s with BetVictor.
At Ayr Charging Thunder (4.50) made all to win at Chepstow last time and he is taken to follow up on his handicap debut for David O’Meara. The selection is a half-brother to the globetrotting Prince Of Arran and looked good value for his neck supremacy over Andrew Balding’s Bashful in south Wales.
The runner up has subsequently finished in the same silver medal position on his handicap debut from a mark of 74 and Charging Thunder – 6/4 with BetVictor – looks potentially well treated from his opening mark of 75. Fairmac blew the start but finished well at Chester last time and could take the selection on for the lead, which is a slight concern, but I do believe there is more to come from Charging Thunder who will get further than 10f in time.
