Timeform Daily View
Timeform Daily View | Bank Holiday Monday preview and tips
By John Ingles
16:38 · MON August 26, 2024
John Ingles of Timeform provides an overview of the key things to note on Bank Holiday Monday.
Three points of interest
Drop in grade for Shadow Army at Ripon
Nobody has sent out more two-year-old winners at Ripon than Richard Fahey since the beginning of 2020, with his 13 winners coming from 59 runners at an excellent strike-rate of 22%. Fahey has also won back-to-back renewals of Ripon’s only listed contest of the year, the Ripon Champion Two Yrs Old Trophy (15:12), though it’s ten years since Izzthatright followed up Supplicant’s success the year before. Last year, the stable was represented by outsider Bombay Bazaar who finished fourth behind the now-smart Ralph Beckett-trained winner Task Force, but Fahey’s two runners this time include form pick Shadow Army who’s taking a marked drop in class.
Having made a winning debut in a valuable novice at York in May, Shadow Army was sent off favourite for the Windsor Castle Stakes but could only finish in mid-division in that big field at Royal Ascot where he wasn’t seen to best effect. He has shown much better form since, putting up useful efforts to finish second to Karl Burke’s Arabie in the Prix Robert Papin (with subsequent Lowther winner Celandine a close-up third) and then fourth in the Phoenix Stakes at the Curragh.
First-time cheekpieces – which have been replaced by a visor here – didn’t have much of a beneficial effect on Shadow Army in Ireland but he was taking on some smart rivals there, with unbeaten filly Babouche beating the subsequent Prix Morny winner Whistlejacket and Arizona Blaze who went close in the sales race at York this week. Shadow Army’s stablemate Mearall looks sure to improve from his winning debut over course and distance earlier in the month but the biggest danger could be Soldier’s Heart, he too a course-and-distance winner last time, representing the Simon & Ed Crisford stable which has won this three times since 2018.
‘Derby Day’ for gentlemen amateurs at Epsom
Amateur riders get their annual chance to ride over the Derby course and distance at Epsom in the Amateurs’ Derby Handicap (15:52) which has been won by top Irish jump amateurs Patrick Mullins and Jamie Codd in recent seasons. Other riders better known over jumps to have taken part in the race include Grand National-winning jockey Sam Waley-Cohen as well as the likes of Nico de Boinville and Freddie Gingell before they turned professional.
None of the 11 riders in this year’s race can match the experience, though, of Mr Simon Walker who won it for the first time on the Philip Hobbs-trained Hibiki in 2009 and has ridden in every renewal since bar one, gaining two more wins on C’Est No Mour in 2017 and 2019 for the late Peter Hedger.
Walker has a very good chance of another success this year on board top weight Lord Melbourne for the in-form stable of Ralph Beckett. A winner at Pontefract early in the season when trained by Simon & Ed Crisford, Lord Melbourne has already landed another big prize in the amateurs’ calendar this season when ridden to victory by Serena Brotherton in the Queen Mother’s Cup for female riders at York in June on just his second start for his current yard. That was on soft ground, so the rain that’s fallen at Epsom this weekend will be welcome for Lord Melbourne who was fourth in a better race at Ascot last time.
Tommie Beau makes another quick reappearance at Cartmel
It’s a long journey from Seamus Mullins’ yard near Salisbury to Cartmel but stable star Tommie Beau made the most of his trip to the Lake District at the end of May, winning over fences on the Saturday and then following up over hurdles on the Bank Holiday Monday. Useful in both spheres, he’s doing another double stint at Cartmel this Bank Holiday weekend, having finished a long way clear of the rest when trying to give almost two stone to winner City Derby over hurdles on Saturday.
A prolific winner, Tommie Beau has done most of his winning in recent seasons over fences, including in the Norfolk, Durham and Southern ‘Nationals’, though he found the Scottish version a bit too competitive in April. He’s best when able to dominate lesser rivals in small fields and that was very much the case for his latest win over fences at Cartmel in May when he jumped superbly on the way to beating Charlie Uberalles who reopposes in the Cavendish Cup Handicap Chase (16:40), the highlight on Cartmel’s card worth more than £12,000 to the winner.
Tommie Beau has gained seven of his eight wins over fences in fields of seven or fewer so has a very good chance of bossing his five rivals again here. Charlie Uberalles, a course winner over a shorter trip in June, could chase him home again, while Ilikedwayurthinkin is another who’s taken well to this track of late, winning twice over course and distance this summer.
Tip of the Day
Celtic Warrior – 15:17 Epsom
Flags: Hot Trainer, Top-Rated
Andrew Balding is in red-hot form, having sent out five winners at four different tracks on Saturday, including a double at York ridden by Oisin Murphy. That followed three wins for the stable on Friday when Murphy landed the Gimcrack on Cool Hand Luke, and the trainer-jockey combination has a good chance of further success with Celtic Warrior in Epsom’s mile and a quarter handicap. Celtic Warrior’s only win to date has come in a maiden at Kempton in April but he has twice run well in handicaps at Goodwood over the summer, including last time out. With cheekpieces applied for the first time, he was soon back to form when a staying-on fourth to Paradias on Stewards’ Cup day and off a 1 lb lower mark can again finish in front of Tahitian Prince, who was behind him on that occasion, over this extra furlong.
More from Sporting Life
Safer gambling
We are committed in our support of safer gambling. Recommended bets are advised to over-18s and we strongly encourage readers to wager only what they can afford to lose.
If you are concerned about your gambling, please call the National Gambling Helpline / GamCare on 0808 8020 133.
Further support and information can be found at begambleaware.org and gamblingtherapy.org.