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R.I.P Sir Henry

Today see's the passing of a legend of a man and a great if not one of the best ever race horse trainers Sir Henry Cecil known for his excellence with the fillies and a master at the classics a man that has been knocked down, betrayed and suffered but always come back fighting and winning from Willow via Old Vic and Reference Point to Belmez and the unforgettable brilliance of Frankel this was a true champion like many of his horses..you will be missed RIP.

Frankel: Sir Henry Cecil's last superstar

OH SO SHARP

Famously won the fillies' triple crown of 1000 Guineas, Oaks and St Leger in 1985 with Steve Cauthen in the saddle. Heartbreakingly denied victory in the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes that year in a remarkable campaign as Willie Carson and Petoski challenged wide and late.OH SO SHARP

INDIAN SKIMMER

Probably the best filly Cecil ever trained, Indian Skimmer lowered the colours of the mighty Miesque in the Prix de Diane of 1987. Kept in training beyond her Classic season, she won the English and Irish Champion Stakes in 1988 and was third in the Breeders' Cup Turf. In 1989 she won the Prix d'Ispahan and was third to Nashwan in the 1989 Eclipse.

DIMINUENDO

One of a select group of just five fillies to have completed the treble of English, Irish and Yorkshire Oaks, with the renowned Timeform operation describing her performance at Epsom as "breathtaking". Only Minster Son, ridden and bred by Willie Carson, beat her home in the St Leger at Doncaster.

ROYAL ANTHEM

A huge, powerful colt, and a winner at Royal Ascot, he was never better than the day he won the Juddmonte International in 1999, where he was simply spectacular (almost Frankel-esque it was that good). American Gary Stevens took the ride and they strolled down the York straight eight lengths clear of the high-class Greek Dance.

SLIP ANCHOR

Owned by Lord Howard de Walden, his 1985 Derby-winning effort will always be remembered as one of the great Epsom performances as he bowled along under that supreme judge of pace Cauthen and had the race won before turning into the straight.

BOSRA SHAM

One of Cecil's favourites, his pain when she was beaten in the 1997 Eclipse was very evident. But she enjoyed many brilliant days, winning the 1000 Guineas and Champion Stakes in 1996, and the Prince of Wales's Stakes the following year. The Champion Stakes win was a poignant one as it was the year after the trainer split with Sheikh Mohammed, who sponsored the race and owned runner-up Halling. The Sheikh handed Cecil the prize afterwards.

OLD VIC

From the first crop of Sadler's Wells, who would go on to superstardom as a sire, Sheikh Mohammed's Old Vic was brilliant when winning the French and Irish Derby in 1989, finishing the season with a higher rating than Nashwan. Old Vic would shine as a jumps stallion, too, siring among others the 2005 Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Kicking King.

KRIS

A supreme miler, Kris was second to Tap On Wood in the 1979 2000 Guineas but proved his worth with wins that year in the St James's Palace Stakes, Sussex Stakes and Queen Elizabeth II Stakes. He returned as a four-year-old to land the Lockinge at Newbury and was beaten just twice in a 16-race career.

FRANKEL

We should have known Frankel was going to be very special from early in his two-year-old days as the usually reticent Cecil waxed lyrical. But no-one could have predicted what he would do in the 2000 Guineas as he produced a jaw-dropping effort, having the Classic won by halfway with the crowd starting to applaud two furlongs out. His performance at that year's Royal Ascot was just as staggering, after which he struck in the Sussex Stakes and the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot. He continued to dominate in 2012, with another five Group One triumphs, which included an 11-length romp in the Queen Anne Stakes. Frankel signed off with an unblemished 14-race record and with the official status as the best horse on the planet.

ARDROSS

A great of the staying division, landing the Ascot Gold Cup in 1981 and 1982 for Lester Piggott. Previously trained by Paddy Prendergast in Ireland, he was second to the Cecil-trained Le Moss - another dual Gold Cup hero - in 1980. To emphasise just what a great horse he was, Ardross was beaten just a head in the 1982 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, the final race of his career.

MIDDAY

Yet another from the Cecil dynasty of fillies and could easily have been another Oaks winner. She did not look back after that narrow reverse to Sariska and piled up six Group One wins, including three consecutive successes in the Nassau Stakes and a first Breeders' Cup win for the trainer in the 2009 Filly & Mare Turf.

REFERENCE POINT

Winner of what is now the Racing Post Trophy in 1986 as the stable second-string, Reference Point won the Derby and St Leger the following year, and remains the last Epsom winner to go on to win at Doncaster in the final Classic of the season.

LIGHT SHIFT

Not the best horse to pass through Warren Place, but her 2007 Oaks win truly was a landmark one, returning as it did her trainer to his rightful place at the top. Cecil, like most of those in attendance, was fighting back the tears afterwards. A great sporting moment, and who knows, without Light Shift the Frankel story may never have happened.

Just a week or so Away.....

Yes it will soon be here and what a week , my second favourite week of the year and with a full weeks racing to ponder over i will ask from you  > Any requests ? ...what type of advice or race card list would you like for the week? , any specific race advice or analysis ? , bet specials or one offs ?...drop us a line and let me know what you would like to see for Royal Ascot so i can prepare....Thanks Guys ( n Gals ).....

See you back on Sat for some hopefully half decent action as the midweek stuff looks very dull and uninteresting.

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Finally its Saturday....

Yes its that time again ( thankfully ) its The Weekend and its party time and hopefully its gonna be winner laden!!!..well at least we have Day 2 of this weeks Newmarket card to aim at which is generally quite kind to me due to the nature of the runners so i feel a decent card is begging to be taken as we look for that something special.....

Nothing much has been going on thru the week a few disappointments , a few surprises and still me best mate is missing.....oh well i guess we'll have to soldier on alone......

The first 7 Days of PPL ( June ) have been quite good in fact bloody excellent tbh and this is the sort of consistency i ( and everyone else ) dreams of but can i sustain it??....well as i have now written this i have probably struck the curse of shiteness but we will see but for now i am going to enjoy the soothing glow of winning.
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NEWMARKET CARD

RACE 1
WIN - GM HOPKINS - UNP
EW - L'IMPOTANTE - UNP
LONG - STALACTITE - UNP
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SUMMARY : An excellent 2yr old maiden to start the card off and with having most if not all very well bred this could be a very tricky puzzle to solve and with only a couple having any sort of recognizable form there are no real obvious starting points although the one that does come out on top is GM HOPKINS which ran in snatches on its debut after requiring an early niggle to give him a hurry up but still only went down less than 1 & 1/2l and will def improve for the run and will no doubt be a leading player here but he will have to show at least 6lbs of improvement to secure the win as i feel a run of around 82 will be needed here.
Of the newcomers i am quite keen on L'IMPORTANTE looks a nice sort being from champion sire New Approach and from a yard that knows how to ready a young un also i like STALCTITE from the Godolphin outfit and this classically bred son of Teofolio should be good enough to get into the mix.

RESULT : GM HOPKINS surely went wrong in the race after being virtually pulled up 3f out and the other 2 were tenderly handled after slowish starts but looked good in the end, ...but thats me PP blown at the first.
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RACE 2
WIN - ETHEDAAM -
EW - NABUCCO - 2nd @ 6.59
LONG - STATUS SYMBOL -
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SUMMARY : Now its a nice looking and well balanced 1m2f Hcap with little on the ratings to separate these.
Not many of these arrive in fresh form so aside from the few with relevant and recent form a certain level of trust will have to be shown and offered.
ETHEDAAM will surely be one of the leading players after a fine win on its seasonal bow accounting for fellow racer Nabucco with a fair bit of authority although the latter is entitled to improve as that come from a long break but Ethedaam won over this trip on good going and took it well enough to suggest this is a bit better than a h'capper and could be worth following.
For the big price players i think Status Symbol is worth a go EW as this was also in the race behind Ethedaam but got no run at all and was cock blocked  everywhere and still only went down 4L and with a better ride will surely finish closer.
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RACE 3
WIN - ENROL - 2nd @ 3.24
EW - NOCTURN - 1st @ 4.40
LONG - GATEPOST -
**EXTRA EW - SECRET WITNESS - 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
SUMMARY : 15 Runner 6f Hcap./.......yeah they are the words you dont like to hear as a punter and with a lot of old favourites n enemies taking part this is a bit of a nightmare tbh and will be one for the magic pin.
Last year ( and the year before ) big things were expected from Valbcheck but it generally didnt perform with any real credit and was a bit disappointing and is left out until it starts to perform like we think it can.
NOCTURN has proven itself both resilient and consistent and must surely be in the firing line again with ground conditions back in favour.
ENROL is an interesting and rather progressive Filly and looks set also to give a good account but this time of year they can be a bit hit n miss and although its entitled to win i doubt if it will be.
GATEPOST looks like its slowly returning to some sort of form and will be giving it a good go and dont forget we have old time friend of the blog SECRET WITNESS running and on a going day this is a very capable sprinter and could easily surprise at huge odds....but could also finish stone last.....Tough race to call but for me its best to stick with the proven form animals.
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RACE 4
WIN - HANDSOME MAN - 2nd @ 8.51 ( done at 1.22 )
EW - SUEGIOO -
LONG - SIGNED UP - Non Runner -
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SUMMARY : Now we have a high class 1m4f Hcap which sees a few quality beasts line up and with just about all 11 runners having some form of a chance and a case can be made these races in some ways are harder to call than the 20 Runner sprint Hcaps as so many are closely matched.
Both the Godolphin runners should be respected as both look likely to run big races with preference for HANDSOME MAN as any one of its last 7 or 8 runs is good enough to get it involved here.
SUEGIOO is sure to be popular with good ol Frankie riding and does have the form figures to get involved and it races almost exclusively over this trip and stays it very well although does have a bit to find with No Heretic on its lto run but im sure it could find enough for a place here.
Then we have the Rail Link colt SIGNED UP and this was progressive last term rattling up a decent double before flopping in the Noel Murless at Ascot and will be the type that gets better with age and the Perret yard has found enough form to suggest a decent run is in the offing.

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RACE 5
WIN - RUFFLED - 3rd @ 6.0
EW - SHARAREH - 4th
LONG - FASHION LINE - 2nd @ 61.50
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SUMMARY : Tough maiden now for 3 yr olds and most of this field arrive having shown some form or at least have managed to attain some experience however i feel this could go the way of one of the newcomers as we have 3 that all look interesting in a very average type of race.
1. FASHION LINE ( Cape Cross )
2.RUFFLED ( Harlans Holiday )
3.SHARAREH ( Sir Percy )

Narmin is the form horse and Hidden Belief is the highest rated ( 80??..i dont think so ) and both could get involved but i will stick to the 3 noobs and hope one is above average.
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RACE 6
WIN - GRANELL -
EW - GHOST RUNNER -
LONG - ROYAL PRIZE - 2nd @ 36.0
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SUMMARY : Hcap time now and a decent one at that with a couple of decent looking sorts to run and a few to put poorish efforts behind them.
GHOST RUNNER is the first on my list after its very easy maiden win at Windsor over todays trip and is sure to be a leading light here although the Cecil yard is proving a bit hit n miss currently im wondering if he has more in the case of quantity rather than his usual quality this season?.
GRANELL could be a nice winner for " Frankie " after getting smashed off the boards lto and winning with authority in a tough race here at Newmarket and over this trip and this could turn into a very progressive sort thru the year and more wins are waiting.
Finally we have ROYAL PRIZE dropped back in trip again this in and out performer could easily get into the mix if on a going day and racing on ground he likes over its ideal trip and big run beckons at some fancy prices...well worth a nibble EW imo.
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RACE 7
WIN - TAGLIETELLE - 1st @ 3.82
EW - GABRIELS KING - 3rd @ 6.77
LONG - KANGAROO COURT -
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SUMMARY : And finally we round the card off with a wide open 1m6f Hcap that inspires me not one single bit.
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So there we have it a solid looking card with a fair mixture ( although would be better served with a nice Group 1 or two ) , Good Luck today folks..time to get PPL sorted ;)

Derby Day Fall out...

Good morning all , ...what can i say??...i posted rather vehemently that Dawn Approach would win because i truly believed it to be the best horse in the race in what i feel and still believe was a sub standard renewal this is shown by the core speed figure and sectionals for the race and in fact over the last 20 Years only High Chaparral has ran a slower race ( 1/2 a second )  with most considerably quicker and Saturdays winner Ruler of the World would have been lucky to even manage a place in any of the last 20 running's thats how poor and slow it was.

This tho isnt the reason or excuse for Dawn Approach's poor show this was down to his head strong almost nutcase like attitude from the gate , his race was effectively over from the 2f pole as he was pulling like a train , throwing his head from side to side and patently refused to settle and was burning himself to the core and when Manning ( Jockey ) decided to pull him through to the front fully 7f from home it was game over...Dawn Approach should have just pulled himself up at the 3 pole and called it a day , you cant say he didnt stay , you cant say he wasnt good enough as he simply never raced but i doubt very much if we will ever get the chance to see if he stays as i feel he will stick to the 1m route with the St James Palace Stakes a possible next target or even Glorious Goodwood.

Back over 1m he will im sure prove to be the best 1 miler in the world then i fear as like a lot of top notch Dolphin horses it will be a case of breeding which is a shame but money rules.

Away from the Derby we had St Nicholas Abbey reminding us what a quality animal he is by hosing up in the Coronation Stakes which also reminded us of how Fantastic Frankel was as he absolutely destroyed this beast ( ran right to form as well ) in the Juddmonte Stakes over 1m2f but with No Frankel i see nothing to beat this over this trip and this could be a golden year for the veteran ( aged 6 ).

Duke of Firenze ran right back to form as i had said it should when winning the Dash under an inspired ride from Moore and Thunder Strike destroyed the field in the Woodcote over 6f in a very good time indeed and after showing lightning speed over 5f this has now shown to be a very classy and quick beast and will be a major player in any event he turns up in and if he can further transfer these skills and speed to 7f or even 1m then next years Guineas is all ready done n dusted but this is a big ask and a big step up but the signs are good ( another tip from me yesterday ).

So the calm after the storm..what is there today??..well frankly not a lot, a couple of shitty NH meetings in the uk , and one of each in Ireland  and the only stand out bet for me is MARCHESS MARCONI in the 1640 ( Listowel ).

Over at Chantilly today we do have a rather big race in the shape of the Prix Du Jockey Club ( G/C 1  ~ AKA The French Derby ) and i have a horse in this im rather keen on in THE SKY HUNTER owned by Godolphin and Trained by Andre Fabre ( Guyon rides ) this won its only start as a 2yro over this trip then started off his campaign with an effortless victory ( again over this trip ) before lto trouncing a good field for a 3rd Distance win ( from 3 runs ) and was last night ( when i originally posted ) 9.6 and is currently 9.4 this has an outstanding EW chance imo and is well worth some interest ( Lava Flow looks quite useful in the 1320 as well ). - 3rd @ 9.06

The racing this week until Saturday at least looks quite ordinary and run o the mill and i will not be producing any cards until then ( Sat ) but i will offer any ad hoc advice in the interim should it be required , have a great week all , TTFN X.

Results : 

Derby Day

 Well its that special time , its DERBY DAY and we have a rip snortin Favourite in Dawn Approach who will win imo today for a variety of reasons and this card is ably backed up with some very decent looking supporting races not least the Coronation Cup , so without further ado lets blast through this Epsom Card and hopefully we can find a winner or two.


            ~~~~~~~~~~~~DERBY DAY~~~~~~~~~~~~
RACE 1
WIN - HIGH TROJA - 4th
EW - SPACE SHIP -
LONG - SALUTATION -
*

SUMMARY - We start the day off with a average looking Hcap over 1m2f that is higher on potential than class or proven ability so stakes should be kept to a minimum here.
The 3 form selections are SALUTATION , SPACE SHIP & HIGH TROJA with me just favouring the latter.
High Troja has been improving steadily ( only had 7 runs ) and has only ever been unplaced once and that was when it ran 5th on its debut , this strapping son of High Chapparal will appreciate any test of stamina and is highly versatile with the ground having won or been placed on everything from AW , Heavy , right through to Good/Firm so any ground is good ground and that shows that this is a true race horse and potentially has that touch of extra class and with more improvement expected i can see this beating this very average lot.

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RESULT - 
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RACE 2

WIN - THUNDER STRIKE - 1st @ 4.22
EW - RIVERBOAT SPRINGS - 2nd @ 7.28
LONG - ZALZILAH -
*

SUMMARY  - Now we have the Woodcote Stakes a very tough race for punters as this is a well contested  6f race for 2 yro and all the field have something about them so it will be a case of form retrieval , stats and speed figures.
If THUNDER STRIKE can carry the speed he has shown in his two 5f races into this and stay then he will take all the beating although i see this more of a 5f Royal Ascot horse but i guess Hannon knows best.
RIVERBOAT SPRINGS has already shown he stays this trip and won well lto in a good time and looks set for a big run ( about time the Bushrangers stepped up even if i have removed them from the breeders list ) and finally i feel ZALZILAH could make the frame as the remainder all look like very precocious 5f all burn n turn types and this will be a mad dash for 4f with the stamina kicking in and the better bred sorts coming to the fore.

BET ADVICE - 
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RESULT - 
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RACE 3

WIN - ST NICHOLAS ABBEY - 1st @ 1.33
EW - N/A -
LONG - N/A -
*

SUMMARY  - Now we have the St Nicholas Abbey Stakes.....sorry thats a typo , i meant The Coronation Stakes but as St Nicholas Abbey has won it for the last two years and looks to make it a Hat Trick they may as well as this has turned into nothing more than a benefit race for both himself and Coolmore ( O'Briens Stable )  and i see absolutely no way how St Nick gets beat here , its a proven CD winner that arrives in cracking form after running all over Dunaden at Meydan , Joshua Tree only seems to run well in Canada , Chamonix looks bloody useful for a pacemaker but that is his primary task and Chapter Seven is way out of his depth ...all roads point to another bloodless victory.

BET ADVICE - 
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RESULT - 
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RACE 4

WIN -  AJJAADD - 
EW - LA FORTUNATA -
LONG -  DUKE OF FIRENZE - 1st @ 6.0
*

SUMMARY - Now this is as hard a race to call as anywhere at anytime an 18 runner 5f Dash ( Hcap ) and this is def one for the magic Pin!!!...
For me Duke of Firenze looks to be the " Class " in the race and although beaten lto it had a rough ride all the way and is due some compensation and a big run here is inevitable.
The quickest on all recent evidence is AJJAADD which won over CD lto in an amazing 0m.55s ( just beating La Fortunata ) and a repeat of that run wins..simple!!...but can it reproduce a performance of that magnitude??..
SMOOTHTALKINRASCAL is bang in form and with the ever reliable Tudders doing the steering i expect this to get a peach of a ride and make em all work even i do think it is just short of the ability required to take this.
CAPTAIN DUNNE will also be expected to push them all the way and is another arriving in good form after a cracking run at Chester in a very quick time and i think this is a placer for sure.
Finally i think LA FORTUNATA is entitled to respect having just been caught on the line over CD lto behind the aforementioned Ajjaadd.

BET ADVICE - 
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RESULT - 
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RACE 5

WIN - DAWN APPROACH - STONE LAST.....;(
EW - N/A -
LONG - N/A -
*

SUMMARY - DERBY TIME!!!...And its DAWN APPROACH all the way for me, with no other Group winners in the field  i dont feel the questions over his stamina will be an issue tbh , but look at the breeding on the sire side, his Father New Approach was thought to be a doubtful Stayer yet WON the Derby his grand sire Galileo WON both the UK and Irish Derbies and then back more and we have Saddlers Wells ( Won the Coral Eclipse / 2000 Guineas ) and the near legendary Northern Dancer....so no problems there although i admit the dam side is questionable but im discounting it as an anomaly ;).
Of the outsiders i feel Galileo Rock could be a surprise package and Ruler of the World looks useful along with the potential improvement to come from Mars and the battling qualities of Battle of Marengo but realistically i feel this is a weak Derby and DAWN APPROACH wins , coming round the bend will not be a problem and should hopefully be in about 4th position at this time and as they straighten up for the final 2f i expect it to make a positive move to the front and run on up the hill killing the speed any may have and will win going away...

BET ADVICE - 

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RESULT - 

1st (10)		12 Ruler Of The World (IRE)	A P O'Brien	3	9-0 p	R L Moore	7/1
Held up towards rear, headway on outside and edged left from over 3f out, went 2nd over 2f out, led inside final 2f, driven clear inside final furlong and stayed on strongly £3500-£500
2nd (5)	1½	7 Libertarian	Mrs K Burke	3	9-0	William Buick	14/1
Held up towards rear, pushed along and awkward on downhill run, riidden and headway on outside 2f out, edged left over 1f out, stayed on strongly inside final furlong, went 2nd final strides, not pace to reach winner
3rd (11)	s.h	6 Galileo Rock (IRE)	D Wachman	3	9-0	W M Lordan	25/1
Took keen hold tracking leaders in 5th, went 2nd over 2f out until 2f out, chased leaders in 3rd, went 2nd again briefly final strides, dropped to 3rd soon after

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RACE 6

WIN - SIRVINO -
EW - DUKE OF CLARENCE - 2ND @ 4.20
LONG - CAYUGA -
*

SUMMARY  - Now after all the fun of the Derby we are pulled right back to earth with a run o the mill Hcap..sigh...
DUKE OF CLARENCE stepped up to this trip lto and was only narrowly beaten and must surely be involved in the finish this time along with SIRVINO for whom Ryan Moore takes the ride and this in form beast will take all the beating today off the back of a very good win at York lto.
CAYUGA should also run well being out of Montejeu this will do nothing this term but improve and this is the right trip on breeding and could start to get some deserved wins under his belt.

BET ADVICE - 
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RESULT - 
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And that will do me for my Place Pot card as race 7 is another nightmare race and not one for me to get involved in so good luck all , have fun and fingers crossed we get some breaks today