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Anyone who has been reading this forum for a few years will know that I was a big fan of Solow. He was initially campaigned over longer trips but he found his mojo big style when dropped in trip. He’s been good to me and it was a shame that he met with injury.
I have been looking at the Queen Anne betting since it came out and also looking for positive news regarding the Freddy Head win machine. He’s a horse who is not spectacular but he always seems to have the will to win that takes him to the front.
I read a couple of days ago that Freddy Head was hopeful of getting him to the racecourse during May and that ideally that would set him up for Royal Ascot the following month. I made a mental note that whenever there was any money at all for him, I would move in.
Solow was cut into 4/1 so I decided to act quickly, because it’s a price route that will only go one way if the horse gets to the track as planned.
Maybe he won’t be as good as he was but maybe he may not need to be. At his best he would gobble the opposition up I feel.
Ribchester was early favourite narrowly but he was not invincible last year and Galileo Gold lost his way late season, while The Gurkha picked up an injury. It was a bit of a merry-go-round with the 3yo milers anyway, as they all seemed to have shot at coming out on top.
Minding is in the mix but she holds alternative entries and as a 4yo filly will she be as good this year?
Galileo Gold is back, but he has something to prove now. I doubt many would hesitate in picking a peak power Solow in preference to most of these, including old sparring partner Belardo, who generally needs cut to help him.
Overall the potential upside in a probable small field on the day made me feel 4/1 was well worth a shot on a horse who has won his last ten starts and is coming up for almost three years on from his last defeat at an almost incredible trip of knocking on 2 miles! If he hadn’t run there, he would be on a winning run of thirteen races and that is Kerching City for punters.
I’ll trust the trainer to bring him back and reward the 4/1 for a former win factory.
Queen Anne Stakes Solow 4/1 seemed worth a wager.
Thanks for the good crack. Time for me to move on. Be lucky.
You’re asking an awful lot of the horse to come back at the age of 7 and win another Queen Anne. And there is cause to say that he never did really need to be out of the ordinary to dominate the mile division in 2015.
With Minding heading elsewhere it seems the way will be open for Alice Springs to line up and 14/1 at the moment looks interesting after a very nice comeback run from the mare.
You’re asking an awful lot of the horse to come back at the age of 7 and win another Queen Anne. And there is cause to say that he never did really need to be out of the ordinary to dominate the mile division in 2015.
With Minding heading elsewhere it seems the way will be open for Alice Springs to line up and 14/1 at the moment looks interesting after a very nice comeback run from the mare.
I don’t think there is any reason to assume the 2017 division is any stronger Charles. For me Alice Springs is pot luck on any given day. Sometimes she runs like she has 8 legs and other times she runs like she has two legs.
The trouble for punters is that a nice comeback run also ties to being beaten favourite at 6/4 with Alice Springs unable to convert the G3 race into the win column.
Alice Springs was quite busy at two and very busy at three. Despite being seven, Solow has only run one more time than Alice Springs in their careers. Solow is 13/18 and Alice Springs 5/17. That might surprise readers when looking at their ages.
Thanks for the good crack. Time for me to move on. Be lucky.
Alice Springs was 3rd in a Group 3 to start of last year’s campaign which yielded 3 top-level victories so I’m sure connections are sitting happy.
What I’m alluding to is that I’d rather take 14/1 Alice Springs than 4/1 Solow. Moreover has a 7 year old ever won the race?
Stats are made to be broken. No horse had won the race or so I was told when running it as a seasonal debut until Toronado did. Like Steve says the horse is lightly race and may hold his form longer for being so, less war scars to carry. Goldikova was a 6 year when beaten by Canford Cliffs but ran to form so the trainer can handle a older horse. At this stage of proceedings I’m keeping my powder dry, ideally I’d like to back Ribchester but at 7/2 looks a bit short considering he is 3/1 for the Lockinge and that is without Solow.
I wouldn’t read too much into Alice Springs losing the other day, over the years the majority of O’Brien’s older horses tend to start on the slow side and build momentum as the season unfolds.
Gaelic Warrior Gold Cup Winner 2026
Alice Springs was 3rd in a Group 3 to start of last year’s campaign which yielded 3 top-level victories so I’m sure connections are sitting happy.
What I’m alluding to is that I’d rather take 14/1 Alice Springs than 4/1 Solow. Moreover has a 7 year old ever won the race?
I am sure they will be happy with Alice Springs, I would say she would likely be well underdone on her debut. The team have clearly sent Found out to bat in the full knowledge that she was nowhere near ready to run anything like her best, on several occasions in the past.
I was just saying that the punters who were on at 6/4 were probably less pleased with it as a debut.
Of course, it’s well enough known that the O’Brien runners are hardly ever sent out fully fit on seasonal debut and should take that into account when considering a bet. I’ve learned the hard way with that over the years.
All five of Alice Springs’ wins came in fillies only company, so that is a slight concern. I haven’t done the stats for the race regarding the sex of the winners but memory suggests not that many fillies win it.
The obvious come back from that might be that not many run in the race but I would counter as to how many 7 year olds have run in the race over the years? Some of the other males who have won the race had other jobs to go to afterwards, unlike the gelding Solow.
It’s swings and roundabouts with the positives and negatives. I’ve picked the former champ as my early shot at the race.
Thanks for the good crack. Time for me to move on. Be lucky.
I was just saying that the punters who were on at 6/4 were probably less pleased with it as a debut.
If they backed an AOB horse at 6/4 on seasonal reappearance, then we shouldn’t really care what they think tbh.
Given Aidan’s said she’s headed to the Lockinge next, I couldn’t help but have a tiny bit on at 14s. Not sure she’ll win (the Queen Anne), but I am sure she’ll be a much shorter price if she does turn up (in the Queen Anne).
4/1 Solow does sound decent though, well done for getting it. He’s a gelding, isn’t he? Just wondering if they brought him back for the sake of it, since he’s worth nothing in the breeding shed. Could very well turn out to be a CdA type though.
Qemah runs at Lingfield on Saturday.
I didn’t think she put her best foot forward in the Matron at the back end of last season and am inclined to write that off as a bad day at the office. She travelled keenly enough throughout her 3 year old season and looked immature at times yet won a couple of top class races so still has potential to improve as a 4 year old. I’m hopeful she will smash the opposition to smithereens on Saturday and therefore have had a few quid each way at 14’s for this.Gaelic Warrior Gold Cup Winner 2026
Bit early for me.
If Minding turns up here, I’d be all over her.
If not, it wouldn’t surprise me if a horse like Gabrial ran a huge race at big price. So many doubts about those at the head of the market right now.
I missed the 20/1 about Somehow for the Lockinge,took 10/1 so the price has somewhat collapsed on her for that but if she were to win at Newbury the obvious step would be this and Bet 365 are going an incredible 33/1 this morning,others as short as 12/1.Stan james a mere 10/1….I have had £25 e/w this morning..A place at 33/1 will do for me but I can guarantee now it will go before 10am.
I missed the 20/1 about Somehow for the Lockinge,took 10/1 so the price has somewhat collapsed on her for that but if she were to win at Newbury the obvious step would be this and Bet 365 are going an incredible 33/1 this morning,others as short as 12/1.Stan james a mere 10/1….I have had £25 e/w this morning..A place at 33/1 will do for me but I can guarantee now it will go before 10am.
Good spot that
Still 33s.
If she’s still that price tomorrow, I’ll have a nibble for a small stake. Can’t see her winning tbh but that’s too big a price.
8.25/1 to place on a race that half of the main protagonists likely won’t even make anyway is a very fair price
Solow is on the drift. Not looking good for him.
Thanks for the good crack. Time for me to move on. Be lucky.
I think Solow’s out to 6/1 in a place but I haven’t heard anything at all – I’ve searched for news (even checked twitter) but nothing.
On Somehow: now, unless she wins the Lockinge (which is looking a tough race) then surely she’ll end up in the Duke of Cambridge for which she is 11/2 and against her own sex. The other two at the top of the betting for that are Qemah and Alice Springs who are more likely to contest the Queen Anne being Group 1 winners. My thinking being that even were Somehow to finish 5th or 6th in the Lockinge she’ll be no better than 11/2 for the Duke Of Cambridge on the day given the likely opposition isn’t up to much.
Bit early for me.
If Minding turns up here, I’d be all over her.
If not, it wouldn’t surprise me if a horse like Gabrial ran a huge race at big price. So many doubts about those at the head of the market right now.
I’d say Minding is almost certain to go for the Prince of Wales rather than this.
Solow has had a setback and will not run at Royal Ascot.
I don’t like it when horses get problems a second time. I’d be ruling him out of coming back anything like his peak now.
Surprised to see Ladbrokes still quoting the horse at 5/1, and Coral at 9/2, Freddy Head said last week that Solow will not be on a racetrack until September or October, if at all this season.
I’ve gone with Ribchester instead. I think he could be short if he wins the Lockinge. 7/2 looks good enough for me.
Ribchester 7/2 He may just be pretty skinny by raceday.
Thanks for the good crack. Time for me to move on. Be lucky.
I backed Alice Springs for this like some others. Just pointing out to others thinking of backing her, that it might be wise to wait for some news about her running at Royal Ascot this year.
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