Three meetings hold our attention today and the shape of the card is split clean down the middle. Five of our ten are short enough to suggest the form is sound, the other five are prices that need a leap of faith. Beverley does the heavy lifting for the bankers, Ffos Las gives us a couple to lean on, and the evening at Newbury is where we go fishing.
Start at Beverley, because that is where most of the day sits. Midsummer Storm is the one we keep coming back to. A lightly raced novice opening her handicap career off a kind mark, the clock has been on her side and she gets a rider who knows every yard of this track. Her fourth last time is easy to forgive on that reading. Later on the card, Turton looks well treated on these terms and the pieces line up nicely. First-time blinkers go on, he steps back up to the longer trip his breeding has been asking for, the weight is coming down and Allan has had plenty of joy here. Forget the short trip last time, it told us nothing.
Brain Freeze is the one for those who like a price with a bit of logic behind it. The clock points to more to come, the handicapper has eased off and the trip is right, and he landed a Redcar handicap not so long ago off a lower mark. The only thing that nags is a tendency to wander across the track, so he wants a clean run.
Over at Ffos Las, Hint Of Humour keeps finishing closer than the result line suggests. The recent figures stack up, Carroll does well here and his Newbury flop owed everything to a tardy start rather than any lack of ability. We also like Solanna in the same colours of confidence. She brings the soundest profile in her race, a win and two placed efforts of late, and she handled this trip and ground when beaten only three lengths off the same mark.
The Newbury evening is the speculative end. Arjack and Brodie’s Boy are both big prices taken each-way, the sort of small stakes that pay for themselves if the place comes off.
Yesterday gave us a little to smile about. Tees Aggregates obliged at 4.0 and three others ran into the places, so the staking ticked along nicely.
A grounded core today with a bit of fun saved for the lights at Newbury. Let it unfold.