Agonisingly, ante post favourite Air
Pilot, who was officially 14lb in well in under a 4lb penalty, failed
to make the cut for the Betfred Cambridgeshire by one place when the
final declarations were published on Thursday. Nevertheless, it’s
an ill wind that blows nobody any good and, with a maximum field of
35 runners and winners at 100/1, 40/1, 25/1, 16/1 and 14/1 in the
last 10 years, the Cambridgeshire is a race made for us.
This year’s renewal, due off at 3.50
p.m. on Saturday, September 27, has attracted any number of horses
capable of running well at generous odds but, as usual, we’ve
highlighted two or three that took our eye.
Balty Boys (33/1) beat several
higher-rated rivals when second to comfortable winner Captain Cat in
the Group 3 Betfred.com Superior Mile at Haydock three weeks ago, but
can race here off an unchanged handicap mark. He finished well on
that occasion so, while all his previous efforts beyond a mile,
except one, have been nothing to shout about, an extra furlong should
be well within his compass. If it is, he’s only 3lb higher in the
weights than when winning a valuable handicap on the July Course at
Newmarket and should run his race whatever the weather in the East of
England between now and Saturday.
Tenor (33/1) has been one of the
success stories of the season, winning six times and rising 39lb in
the handicap as a result. A 7lb penalty for winning the Listed Nigel
& Elwes Fortune Stakes at Sandown ten days ago (a career-best
effort) means that he’s now 29lb higher in the weights than when
last winning a handicap, but only 8lb higher than when second, beaten
a neck, in the Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup Mile at Ascot last month.
The son of Eclipse Stakes winner Oratorio probably needs to improve
again if he’s to become the first horse since Cap Juluca, in 1995,
to carry 9st 10lb to victory, but it’s not beyond the realms of
possibility that he’s capable of doing so.
Dance And Dance (40/1) finished a neck
behind Tenor (rec. 11lb) in a handicap on the Rowley Mile in May, but
reopposes here on 27lb better terms, so simply cannot be ignored from
a handicapping point-of-view. The Royal Applause gelding ran on well
in the closing stages to finish sixth, beaten 5¼ lengths, behind
Educate in this race last year, despite being denied a clear run with
two furlongs to run, so appears to have bright prospects off a 1lb
lower mark this time around. He meets the winner on 7lb better terms
and the third, Tres Coronas, on 8lb better terms, so the bookmakers
may have underestimated his chance.
His best run this season came over the
testing straight mile at Newcastle, where he finished second, beaten
a short head, but was awarded the race in the stewards’ room after
being bumped in the closing stages. He is just 3lb higher in the
weights here, appears to act on just about any ground and has the
services of Silvestre De Sousa, who has a 1-4 (25%) strike rate for
Ed Vaughan, so he has plenty going for him.
In summary, our three against the
field, in no particular order are:
Balty Boys (33/1 with Coral)
Tenor (33/1 with Coral)
Dance And Dance (40/1 generally).
Good luck!
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