Five meetings today and the day has an odd shape to it. Our most solid bets run in the afternoon at Newmarket and Ascot, but the horses we think the market has misjudged are all bunched into York’s closing races.
Newmarket carries our biggest bet. Blue Bolt in the 3:35 is the one we are strongest on at 11/4, and the rest of the card gives us plenty to follow him with. Heraldry goes each way in the 1:50 opener, then U S S Charleston at 12/1 and Three Non Blondes at 18/1 keep us involved late in the afternoon.
Over at Ascot, Gatehouse sets the standard in a small field in the 3:45. He was staying on strongly when second last time, his weight keeps easing, and both trip and ground are already proven. At 5/2 he is the most dependable runner we have found all day. Starlight Time adds a bigger price to the same card, each way at 16/1 in the 3:10.
York is where it gets more speculative, and more tempting. Brazen Bolt in the 5:05 has clocked genuinely quick times at this track, sharper than a Class 4 sprinter usually manages, and traffic rather than talent explains his recent placings. Stall twelve suits him and 7/1 underrates him. High Fibre in the 5:40 reads similarly, running to a level well beyond a mark of 79 while the results lag behind, with trip and ground both proven. Beach Point at 16/1 in the 4:30 completes the trio of overlooked types, with Crouch aboard from a helpful draw, and Luzon Heights is our steadier position in the 3:55.
The evening belongs to Chester. Infraad is short in the 7:00 but deservedly so, Berkshire Boom follows in the 8:12, and King Of War closes the night in the 8:50. He sits clear of these on sprint form, his best run coming when he won two starts back, and we are treating the fifth since as a blip rather than a turn. Across the water, A Penny A Hundred is the outsider of the day at Kilbeggan, each way at 25/1 in the 6:32.
Yesterday gave us something to build on. Watch Tower won at 4/1, and both Dicko The Legend and Rage Of Thunder placed. Three from five paying out is the kind of day we will happily take, and today’s card gives us fourteen chances to go again.