Sky Sports Racing's Alex Hammond's latest racing blog

By Alex Hammond

13:17 · TUE September 10, 2024

Sky Sports Racing's Alex Hammond is at Ascot today and she has plenty of tips for the afternoon in her latest blog.

Well, I don’t know what part of the country you’re reading this from and what the weather has been like with you, but I walked my dogs this morning in a thunderstorm (not intentionally, we got thoroughly caught out) and truly soaked. My rain gauge told me 48mm has bucketed down in the last day and a half and some of this weekend’s racing venues haven’t escaped the deluge.

The north appears to have been the best spot for late summer sun though and Haydock have for once escaped the worst of it. The ground at the time of writing is good to soft, but that looks likely to dry back a touch.

The Betfair Sprint Cup Stakes is their feature with a big field of 16 declared to run in this Group 1. The Kevin Ryan-trained Inisherin is Sky Bet’s 7/2 market leader despite a below par run in the July Cup on his most recent start. He’s still learning the sprinting game and it sometimes takes this type of horse time to truly power up and get the hang of this game. Another factor that tempers my enthusiasm is the yard form, which is a little below par. I’ll take him on at the prices.

ELITE STATUS is his team mate to a degree as he runs for the same owner, albeit a different yard. Karl Burke has his team firing on all cylinders, but this horse is a challenge to train by all accounts as he has a horrible habit of knocking his own joint whilst galloping. He’s a fabulous horse and I hope they are finding the solution to that issue. Like the favourite he’s also a three year old, and is 11/2 second fav.

Karl Burke is also responsible for Swingalong, who is a year older than her stablemate and will be ridden by William Buick. She’s a likeable filly and to win a Group 1 with her would be the dream for connections. Like her stablemate, she’s also an 11/2 shot.

The Adrian Murray trained Bucanero Fuerte hasn’t been seen since May but he’s another classy three year old who won a group 1 at 2. Will the low draw inconvenience him here? It’s possible because plenty of the pace is drawn high. Questions to answer too with that break to overcome.

I’m happy to go with Elite Status at 11/2.

Elite Status (right) battles to victory

Earlier on in the card I’m going with WAXING GIBBOUS to give record-breaking jockey Hollie Doyle another winner in the Betfair Exchange Old Borough Cup Handicap. The David Menuisier trained filly has a fly weight to carry and the step up in trip should suit. If the ground dried out significantly that would dampen my enthusiasm. She’s 11/2 with Sky Bet.

I’m off to Ascot for Sky Sports Racing and there’s a cracking card to get stuck into there. The opening race is the Bet365 Handicap over seven furlongs, and it’s attracted a competitive field befitting it’s £80,000 prize fund.

James Doyle has some good rides on the card, and I hope he can get off to a flyer on THE WIZARD OF EYE for Charlie Fellowes. Sky Bet are offering money back as cash if you’re 2nd, 3rd or 4th and I hope that’s a safety net we won’t need for this classy performer. He was over faced in the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot and won the Victoria Cup over course and distance the time before on his debut for this trainer.

The feature race at Ascot is the £100,000 Chapel Down Handicap over a mile and a half. James Doyle gets on board 100/30 joint favourite French Duke who is one of the upwardly mobile horses in the field. I’m going to take him on with SOLOMON though who looks an attractive proposition at 13/2. You can put a line through his recent run at the Shergar Cup because his jockey Alberto Sanna had hells own job of settling him and failed on that score. He’s not a straightforward ride but I think Callum Shepherd will have a better chance of keeping a lid on him in this. He’s got a lovely pedigree being a half brother to Melbourne Cup runner up Soulcombe, and trainer William Haggas has targeted this race successfully in the past.

https://m.skybet.com/horse-racing/ascot/handicap-flat-class-2-7f/34211957?aff=681&dcmp=SL_RACING

WHISKEY PETE is my pick in the UK Hi-Fi Show Live September 21st-22nd “Confined” Handicap at 3.20. There are less exposed horses than him, but a few have questions to answer, and this lad is back to his last winning handicap mark. He’ll enjoy the soft ground and trainer Ralph Beckett is motoring along nicely.

I hope that class will prevail in the Fever-Tree Handicap at 3.55. Tacarib Bay and Rohan are the top two in the weights, but both are looking well handicapped now. Rohan is a 3/1 shot and Tacarib Bay 13/2 with talented apprentice Joe Leavy on board the latter for Richard Hannon.

It could be a successful day for trainer Ralph Beckett if Fair Point gets her head in front in the tote.co.uk British EBF Premier Fillies’ Handicap. She’s consistent and progressive and has run well over this straight mile in the past. She’s 9/2 third favourite.

And finally, what can I say about the last race on the card, the tote.co.uk Handicap over five furlongs. Well, it’s wide open and there are several scenarios here. I can’t believe I’m about to say this, but EXISTENT is a horse I’ve followed over the cliff, up the other side and back down again. Surely his day will come soon. He’s 10lbs below his last winning mark and he’ll enjoy the rain softened ground. Badri and The Big Board are also on my shortlist…argh! Existent at 17/2? Oh, go on then.

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