Nine two-year-olds take part: all colts bar one filly including two debutantes. Quite a restricted race type which usually favours form horses. Considering the majority of these have race experience we will have to separate the wheat from the chaff.
Cosmic Boy is trained by Marco Botti and finished second on his debut. This son of Fast Company is owned by Robert Ng who has horses with a number of high-profile trainers. Botti and punters alike must have been disappointed to be caught on the line by Manangatang - trained by Luca Cumani and given an inspired ride by Gabriele Malune. The winner was still well adrift at the furlong pole! Cosmic Boy was relatively fancied and within a significant betting guide. It was a strange race detailed by the fact that the horse which finished ninth was beaten just two-and-a-half lengths. It was a blanket finish like no other. This May foal drops back a furlong which shouldn't be a problem.
A live hope.
Good to see Julia Feilden with a new recruit for Newmarket Equine Tours Racing Club. Critical Thinking is a son of Art Connoisseur who cost 4,500E when purchased as a foal. I have been to the races a few times with Julia and her avid supporters. A great day out. It is a very affordable way to be part of a stable, race day and get inside info about their respective syndicate horses. Fully recommended.
Delegate Lord is best watched and will have his day in nursery class.
Daniel Mark Loughnane has a small string of two-year-olds. Joy's Delight is sired by Stimulation who doesn't seem to have set the world alight as a stallion. The only filly in the field, she was withdrawn from the sales as a foal. Best watched.
Upper Lambourne trainer, David Lanigan, fields a homebred gelding which is in the ownership of 21st Century Farms Ltd. Take A Turn is a son of Henrythenavigator who was recently withdrawn from auction. He has been huge prices on both starts to date but wasn't disgraced at Kempton. This February foal is likely to be an outsider today but may run better than his odds. However, there is always a slight concern this third start will be ideal for a handicap mark.
Anne Duffield has the attractively named *Mr Coco Bean. Racing in bright orange colours, you will see this bay gelding. This juvenile is sired by the American stallion Gio Ponti who I have no knowledge of although looking at his profile won almost $4 Million in total prize earnings. Mr Coco Bean was purchased at the breeze-up sales in May this year for 21,000E by Anne Duffield Bloodstock. He was 40-1 on debut at Newcastle but run with credit beaten less than one length into third. By race type, he stepped up in class at Musselburgh when third behind Keith Dalgleish's Tor. That was a fair effort. Connections will be hopeful. Maybe slightly overpriced at 11-1.
Vanderbilt has raced four times and been no more than three lengths from winning at worst. This chestnut gelding is a son of Intense Focus out of a Galileo mare. He didn't seem to go through the sale's ring as far as I can see. Martyn Mead is a superb trainer who places his two-year-olds well. It is interesting to see he has applied the blinkers for the first time. A tendency to hang to his left may be corrected by this headgear. A wide draw isn't ideal and the blinkers may be used as a prompt to hit the front. Definitely, has each-way claims.
Sir Mark Prescott worked his magic on Expresso Freddo who looked like a plane with a broken wing at Brighton. This son of Fast Company cost 36,000E when purchased at the yearling sales. He ran well in his second start at Windsor when plugging on in determined style to finish runner-up. The last start, when stepping up to seven furlongs, was a decent effort. I had slight reservations that day because the prior run was so poor. The money came that day, and he battles hard. This is his grade but the favourite may simply have too much class. However, I can see a few punters backing this colt each-way.
At this lowly level, it is not a bad starting point to see a horse owned by Hamdan Al Maktoum. Mustarrid is a brown gelding trained by Richard Hannon. This son of Elzaam cost 140,000E at the yearling sales. It's like spotting the odds one out with two convicts in striped shirts but ones carrying a bag with money sticking out the top because of the zip burst. Clearly, Mustarrid must have been the exception to the rule of those offspring going to the sales. Running over one mile on debut, this February foal was slowly into stride, held up in rear, but ran on well to finish third behind Qatar Man & Shenanigans. The winner is well regarded and the second has won with ease next time out. Mustarrid must go well. He wouldn't want to be slow away from the stalls but that is likely to have been due to inexperience.
Conclusion: Mustarrid looks the jewel in the crown here. He cost more than most of these put together and significantly owned. Unless he is very slow from stalls you would have to say this is the class horse of the field.He wouldn't want to be slow from the stalls. Looks the horse to beat. Cosmic Boy is a winner without a penalty. On stats alone, he has sound each-way claims. Vanderbilt may go better for the blinkers. Expresso Freddo isn't the fastest thing on four legs but he is a strong sort who battles to the line. This could be an each-way alternative to the favourite but you may have to pray the jolly has a disaster.
Mr Coco Bean *NR