Three meetings on a Sunday and the money goes everywhere, from a 6/4 shot at Ayr to a 25/1 outsider on the same card. Ten picks in all, and for once the strongest opinions sit at opposite ends of the market.
Ayr is where the class is. Altareq in the 3:15 is the one we keep coming back to. He runs for Goldie and Mulrennan, a combination that knows this track inside out, and his last run at Carlisle was far better than the bare result. He missed the break over a trip that was never going to suit and still got beaten only two lengths off today’s mark. Ten furlongs is what he wants and he gets it here. Who Wants Me opens the card for us at 7/4, and later on Recobella appeals at 9/2 in the 4:25. Hamilton found her out on trip, not ability, and the horses that beat her recently have gone in again since. Back at ten furlongs on good ground from stall three, she looks ready to strike. The wildcard is Summerstorms Dream in the 5:35. The cheekpieces backfired at Hamilton and one bad run has blown her price out to 25/1, which is far bigger than her earlier form deserves. Back on ground she likes, she is an each-way bet.
Market Rasen gets a single visit from us, Tilehurst in the 2:50 at 9/2, and it carries two points, so it is not there to make up the numbers.
Southwell does the heavy lifting in the second half of the day. Jupiter Ammon in the 5:25 has been bumping into horses that win next time, his times keep getting quicker, and he returns fresh with the cheekpieces left off. He handles any surface at this trip and the mark is winnable. Earlier, Wadacre Maestro is drawn to get a dream run from stall four in the 2:32 with a rider who goes well at the track. Forget Catterick, that race was lost at the start. And the biggest bet of the whole day is New York Minute in the 5:55, three points win at 9/2.
Yesterday brought no winner from five, though three made the frame, and Ammes was the pick of them at 16/1 for anyone who took the each-way advice. Frustrating, but the form is holding up.
A quieter Sunday card, then, but not a quiet book. If Altareq does what we think he can at Ayr, the rest is a bonus.