Dave Massey has had a 5/1 winner with his first selection today and the second runs in the 7.30 at Wolverhampton this evening.
Recommended Bets
1pt win Mammasaidknockyouout in 1.55 Lingfield at 5/1 (minimum 4/1)
1pt win California Lad in 7.30 Wolverhampton at 4/1 (take no lower)
Going Old Skool - 1.55 Lingfield - Mammasaidknockyouout
A 0-65 nursery at this time of the year won’t take much winning, and although there are potential improvers in both Youllovemewheniwin, Decandent and Pontius, the return to this surface could see a better effort from Mamasaidknockyouout, having been third here on her second start, her best run of her three to date.
Drawn wide that day, Rossa Ryan was looking for a gap to try and drop her in early but had to wait to do so, and may well have found himself a bit further back than he would have liked. Once out in the open in the straight, she runs on perfectly well enough to finish third, at the same time giving an impression that a drop back to 6f would be no bad thing.
Last time out at Newcastle was all about getting her mark, and she had little chance from a poor draw, so from stall 2 here, and in the hope she’s ridden forward, she’ll hold a good chance of taking this.
Richard Hannon has a 19% strike rate in all weather handicaps at Lingfield over the last five years, and backing them all blind would have returned a profit of £746 to a £10 stake at SP, which is also encouraging.
California Uber Alles - 7.30 Wolverhampton - California Lad
One trainer that perhaps goes under the radar when it comes to rejuvenating horses that have left other yards is Ivan Furtado. The likes of Brooklyn Boy (three wins this year), Alminar (two wins) and Badayel (also two) all came from what I would call good yards, and equally once he has them in his care, he tends to waste little time getting them to win.
All of that makes California Lad interesting here. Yes, he’s an exposed 7yo but had been with a yard that hadn’t had a winner all year before joining Ivan in the summer, and he looks to have been acquired with a winter campaign on the all weather in mind.
He had his first start for the yard at Lingfield last month where he ran respectably after a break over a trip probably on the short side for him, and this step back up to 12f ought to suit him. Indeed, his first intended start was going to be over this C&D in September, but he was taken out with a self-certificate on the day. His mark looks very workable, and in a race that will take little winning, is worth a bet.
Lep Might Step Forward - 3.25 Lingfield - Lep
Lep can’t really be recommended as a bet, but I have got one eye on him for a handicap such as this once he learns how to settle, which is holding him back at present.
Three runs in novices last winter convinced me there were handicap wins in him, but he’s come back after a break this autumn with three very modest efforts, not finishing his race off with any gusto, and that’s all down to the fact that he simply runs too free early on.
He’s now on a low-looking mark if he learns to race better, and I don’t think the step up in trip is any bad thing, really - his full brother Leapt (who was also a keen-going sort) stayed 14f and won over hurdles, so this really is a case of getting him to race better early on, and then we might be able to see what he can do.
This Time Next Year - 3.07 Southwell - Cheer’s Delboy
Whilst on the phone to Rory today, we watched Volcano gain a deserved win for Sheila Lewis and it somehow set me off on the subject of eyebrow threading. When did that become a thing? Set yourself up with a dentist’s chair in a shopping centre, run some cotton over someone’s eyebrows for ten minutes and charge them a score for the privilege? We’re in the wrong game, Delargy. More hot takes on other beauty treatments as the week progresses.
Anyway, I’m at Southwell tomorrow and whilst at this stage I’m struggling to find a solid bet, the reappearance of Cheer’s Delboy after a two-year break in the 3.07 will be of some interest.
If I take you back to 2017, a time when eyebrow threading was merely something we could only dream of, Cheer’s Delboy was catching the eye in a pair of novice hurdles - one at Doncaster, where he was beaten under twenty lengths by Dynamite Dollars, and another at Cheltenham, where he travelled strongly and was within hailing distance of Slate House at the finish.
It almost goes without saying that, off a mark of 100, he’s well treated these days but after such a long layoff, and with Robin Dickin still struggling for winners (Mr Palmtree the exception), I’d say he can only really be watched. Maybe at 25s and bigger (with four places on offer) I could be tempted each-way, but it might be a watching brief tomorrow and see what ability is retained.
- Preview posted 1750 GMT on 23/11/2020