DAILY RACING PREVIEW BY ANDY HOLDING
FRIDAY APRIL 18
2.05 LINGFIELD
KIND OF KISS (best price 5-1) ran an extraordinary race for one so inexperienced over today’s C&D last time out and with assessor quite kindly leaving him on the same mark despite the data suggesting otherwise, Kevin Philippart De Foy’s gelding Is fancied to take advantage of that leniency on his return visit.
Sent off 80-1 at the Surrey venue, the Sea The Stars gelding stepped up markedly on anything he had previously achieved but as the speed figure was so good, there is no real reason to suggest his effort was a fluke in any way.
Finishing off his race best of all, it was a performance that suggested there could be more to come, and it would come as something of a surprise if he were not involved in some capacity if running to a similar level.
KIND OF KISS – 1-point each-way@5-1
3.35 NEWCASTLE
HEATHCLIFF (best price 9-2) must be considered unlucky not to arrive here with a better finishing position than he did at Kempton last time out and at a track that has played into his strengths on the two times he has visited in the past, James Fanshawe’s gelding is fancied to uphold those stats.
Up against the usual suspects for the grade at the Sunbury track 23 days ago, the four-year-old ran into the sort of traffic more familiar with what you would probably get on a rush hour on a Friday at the busy motorway just down the road and, as a result, he could never gather up a proper head of steam.
Finishing full of running once seeing some daylight, he left the impressed he might have won with a clear run and even though today’s task is not exactly a walk in the park compared to what he faced on that occasion, he still has the qualities to make his presence felt with a clearer shot at the target.
HEATHCLIFF- 1-point each-way@9-2
4.07 NEWCASTLE
As you would expect for the money on offer, a cracking turnout for this 1m2f prize and with all the big players from the winter over this distance rocking up, margin for error is at a premium.
However, based on pure numbers, both OLD HARROVIAN (best price 3-1) and CHARLOTTE’S WEB (best price 10-1) suggest they have what it takes to be competitive at the very least and they are the two advised against the field.
The former has not been out since hitting the ball out of the park on the data over today’s C&D back in January but with connections happy to allow him to come here fresh, that absence should not necessarily cause too many issues.
Given an extremely confident ride on his first visit to the Gosforth Park venue, the turn of foot he exhibited to leave his rivals for dead late on was hugely impressive and with today’s draw likely to give Oisin Murphy little choice but to adopt a similar role on his return visit, the flashy son of Sea The Stars is fancied to make a bold bid to overcome the deficit.
The latter is also a proven C&D winner and although her victory here back in November would not be anywhere good enough to score on her return visit, her subsequent efforts in Class 2 company suggest otherwise.
Indeed, her overall performance and speed figure in defeat at Lingfield last time out back up that view and with a record on the all-weather that reads 311112, another big effort looks on the cards.
OLD HARROVIAN – 1point win@3-1
CHARLOTTE’S WEB – ½ point win@10-1