DAILY RACING PREVIEW BY ANDY HOLDING
TUESDAY FEBRUARY 11
2.40 AYR
The bumper won by Out Of The Woods here last month was noted for its very strong speed figure for a race of its kind and BARATABLET (NAP) (best price 2-1) receives a confident vote to fly the flag for the form on his first start over hurdles.
Strongly fancied to make a winning debut (sent off 3-1 favourite), Nicky Richards’ inmate gave his supporters every hope of collecting turning for home but in the end, he was just outstayed by a horse who simply took off inside the final half a mile.
That said, he finished well clear of the rest and, with the data suggesting his performance would have been easily good enough to land most bumpers so far this season, it simply boils down to whether his technique holds firm on his first outing in his new discipline.
Bred to get further than two miles being by a Derby winner out of a dam who won over 2m4f, today’s contest looks an ideal starting point for the son of Wings Of Eagles, with Jeune Prince the only logical danger to him following in the footprints of stable mate President Scottie, who took this race twelve months ago.
BARATABLET – 2-points win@2-1
4.37 LINGFIELD
MY FRIEND SEAN (best price 11-4) arrives here with a hat trick firmly in his sights and there’s every chance he can complete the task at hand if he runs to the standard achieved at Uttoxeter last time out.
Having scored at the Midland venue a month previously, it was easy to see why he was a warm order to follow up and, having travelled well throughout what turned out to be a well-run affair, he only had to be nudged out to justify prohibitive odds.
Looking at the data from 17 days ago, the numbers reveal he ran the two-mile circuit two seconds quicker than the useful novice Rubber Ball over the same C&D, and based on what Neil King’s inmate went on to achieve at Newbury on the weekend, it’s easy to suggest My Friend Sean ran way beyond a horse rated 91 at the time.
Even though reassessed to 100, there’s a strong possibility he is still well treated and hailing from a stable who have seemingly come through the other side of the pain barrier this season, Tom Lacey’s gelding is worth keeping on side for the foreseeable future.
MY FRIEND SEAN – 1-point win@11-4