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Fascinating race this with Finjan dropping back in distance yet again. High Standing going for a 5 timer, Fleeting Spirit and Main aim renew rivalry, the disappointing JJ the Jet Plane now with Richard Hannon and the talented Bushranger back after a 2 1/2 months lay off. Not even sure I’ve mentioned the winner.
High Standing keeps winning but I’m amazed he fav for this. His OR of 105 is one of the lowest in the race which sort of hits you right between the eyes. I reckon the bookies are weather watching as the course is already good to soft everwhere except on the 5 and 6f part of the course.
Jeremy Noseda has been slowly away tthis season with Fleeting Spirit He was off from June until Oct last season but I would imagine there was something a miss. He ran 2 great races so far this seasonand I would expect him to be the won they all have to beat if the ground remains fast.
I woud love to see JJ the Jet Plane go off like a bat out of hell as I think he looks the type to do better ridden that way. Probably still not good enough though
Finjan win was hard not to be impressed by and he looks a real classy sort but again fast ground looks a must.
With all the fancied horses except High Standing having a preference for fast ground he may just be a steal at 7/2 for this
Art Connoisseur not running,he is 28 on the machine which concerns me! Mind you TAPK did snaffle 44 and 42 about Fleeting spirit,when people thought she would miss the July Cup! I hope the current field stand their ground as it will be a fascinating race between Fleeting spirit, Main Aim, Art Connoisseur, Finjaan, JJ the Jetplane and the "Handicapper" High Standing! Personally speaking i find it amazing that the 113 rated High Standing is favourite against this lot, he aint no Petong! If the race was run tomorrow on good ground then at 5/1 i would be on Fleeting Spirit and an e/w bet on Arty!
Soft ground and i would be on Main Aim! Great race in store i hope!- Total Posts 17716
There is no 0 in Art Connisseur but there might be another one next to his name on Sat
Joking aside he runs if it is firm but Bell’s horses are in the worst form of their lives which is a big concern. Apparantly the saddle slipped in the Nunthorpe but I doubt if lightning can strike twice. If the ground does come up fast I doubt if the initial pace wil be as slow as it was when he won his last race. I’m not sure the form of that race is worth as much as it may look on paper.
There is no 0 in Art Connisseur but there might be another one next to his name on Sat
.There are 2 O"s in Art Connoisseur,just as there is in 007 and Roger More!
Only one reason why High Standing is the favourite and thats Kieren Fallon taking the ride, stupid, but punters will back him blind.
Finjaan would have a very big chance I would think, form has been franked with 2nd and 3rd then going to be 1st and 2nd next time out. 5’s with William Hill, while Art Conisseur can be forgiven for his last run I would say Finjaan is the better horse.
With Intense Focus also going back in trip it may suit him as he has done better at the shorter distance, with him coming up short at 1m. I will wait to see if he runs but if he does I would be tempted by his big price, was doing well around this time last year also.
Havent assessed the race but what about Equaino with Peslier back on board ??
Might like the rain if it comes
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Fist
High Standing’s OR is 113, which he was raised to after his Newbury win. Not sure that he has all that much to find either; he’s already improved by leaps and bounds (c20lbs) this season and it’s a brave man who says he won’t find anymore. Achieved an RPR of 118 for his last race on unsuitable ground, and with KF doing the steering, no surprise at all to see him in the shake-up.
Fleeting Spirit looks much the best horse in the race though, but has queries about both fitness and soft ground. Difficult to know what to make of the Haydock going this season, in previous years with the current forecast you’d have bet diamonds on it being soft or worse, but not nearly as predictable now they changed the courses.
Will probably wait until after the 5f race before I’d even contemplate putting money down,Reet Hard – it rained all afternoon yesterday in St Helens (my parents house, 3 or 4 miles from the course). Be warned that the Sprint Cup is going to be run on the new "inner sprint course" which seems to be draining really really really well – would expect it to be good at worst on Saturday with the draining.
Fleeting Spirit looks a cracking bet – if it does end up getting softer then I can see Bushranger being right in the mix, had top class form last year and not had much chance to prove it in 2009.
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Thanks for that, IS.
Does anyone know what they’ve actually done to this part of the course, to bring about such a remarkable transformation?- Total Posts 17716
I think it’s called drainage Reet and some day we are supposed to be getting it here in Thailand
We’d be lucky…….it’s amazing how quickly water can go with the proper drianage though. We have monsoons here at the moment and you are up to your knees in water one minute and 30 mins later it’s all gone. With today’s technology I would imagine it’s just an improved drainage system and a bit of landscaping.I wasn’t aware KF was riding High Standing until today but he is still 7/2 so I take it I missed the news on that.
One horse I can’t fancy is Main Aim 31/5 on Betfair looks a very safe lay to me. I simply don’t think 6f is his trip these days despite his good run behind Fleeting Spirit.
Thanks for that, IS.
Does anyone know what they’ve actually done to this part of the course, to bring about such a remarkable transformation?I’m not sure if you’ve seen much of Haydock since the redevelopment – I think they first used the new course at the end of July and when I was there at the start of August for a friday night meeting (Khataab impressed in the 2yo maiden over the course) the ground looked particularly firm relative to the rest of the course.
The new sprint course effectively incorporates part of the old 6f course and the old steeplechase course (the fences moved towards the inside along with the hurdles etc) – they’ve been using the track for about 5 or 6 race days but will be interesting to see how well it’s drained.
Was out riding in the rain again this afternoon and got drenched if anyones looking for a barometer – it’s nothing heavy as such just that fine rain that soaks you through
A career-best effort on ‘unsuitable ground’ reet? I reckon a reassessment of what conditions High STanding is effective under is called for.
Not liking the vibes for Fleeting Spirit, and the ground is unlikely to be as fast as she’d be suited by ideally, can’t see me backing her now at this rate.
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The plot thickens, Irish Stamp?
I had taken much the same view as you – that the sprint course was appreciably faster than the round course this season – but couldn’t see any logical reason why, without extensive work having taken place. Both the course map and the ariel view support what you say about the 6f course being re-sited, which shouldn’t really have much effect on the drainage.
A quick look at the last 8 racedays only serves to confuse the issue even more. On 6 of the days the RP has the time-based ground for both courses identical (which race times support) and one day (Aug 8th) the straight course as slightly quicker (which race timesdon’t
substantiate). However, the meeting on July 31st paints a totally different picture, with the time-based ground
soft
on the round course and
good to firm
on the straight course, a view entirely uphel by the race times?
God (and the Clerk of the Course) only knows what happened on that day, but I’d suspect it has something to do with someone going berserk with the hosepipe, on a course infamous for its slippery bends.- Total Posts 17716
DJ
I hear what you’re saying about High Standing’s best effort lto, but both his trainer and his jockey reported him as unsuited by the softer ground on the day, which his previous form also tends to support,
As he’s improved by around 30lbs this season (not 20, as previously stated), that may well be the case, I wouldn’t bet against him finding some more on Saturday either, if the ground does eventually turn out faster.i wouldnt trust any of these as far as i could throw them fleeting spirit surely has no chance in the ground , high standing is not top class but this is not a top class race . main aim is not top class but could well win this .
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