DAILY RACING PREVIEW BY ANDY HOLDING
WEDNESDAY MAY 28
2.30 HAMILTON
Some potentially well treated three-year-olds in this mile handicap, none more so than MOUTAI (NAP) (best price 2-1), who shaped with conspicuous promise in a warm maiden at Doncaster on his seasonal bow.
Having his first outing for 182 days and his third in his career, Ed Walker’s inmate had the potential to be ridden with a handicap career in mind and on the evidence of what was witnessed on Town Moor, that theory proved to be very much the order of the day.
Soon accepting his winning chance had dissipated, his pilot gave his mount a sympathetic ride inside the final two furlongs but even so, he kept on well to finish not too far off five horse who are now all rated in the 80+ category, and it looks strong form for a race of its kind.
Bred to get much further than the seven furlongs he faced that day, this good looking, deep-bodied gelding should prove to be in his element over today’s stiff mile and crack northern jockey Paul Mulrennan booked, connections clearly mean business on his debut in this sphere.
MOUTAI – 2-point win@2-1
6.40 CARTMEL
ROCK HURLEY (best price 3-1) produced some useful data for the grade when scoring in emphatic fashion at Bangor last time out and under a similar canny ride from the front, Donald McCain’s inmate can prove equally unstoppable around today’s sharp circuit.
A front runner by trade, the seven-year-old got himself into a lovely rhythm at the Welsh venue and once turning on the taps a mile from home, he soon had his rivals at the pin of their collars.
Unrelenting from three out, the son of Galiway keep pouring on the coal and such was his final circuit of devastation, he better the closing sectionals put up by the 120-rated I’m A Lumberjack over the same C&D.
Based on that information, the in-form grey might not necessarily be held back by his hike in the ratings and heading to a venue where it is quite easy to ride a stop-start race from the front, William Maggs can be seen to good effect on his mount for the second time.
ROCK HURLEY – 1-point win@3-1
7.22 KEMPTON
FORCE AND VALOUR (best price 5-1) was an anonymous figure at Chester last time out but back over a more suitable track and surface, George Scott’s gelding could easily bounce back to be more competitive here this evening.
Connections were well within their rights to try the son of Mehmas back over six furlongs on the Roodee based on his form as a juvenile but having picked up a wide drawn and been a shade slow to gather stride; he found himself in a position he was never likely to recover.
Looking at his effort on Meydan’s dirt track during the winter, finishing a close-up sixth behind the likes of Golden Vekoma (won Saudi Derby next time) and Heart Of Honor (sixth in the Preakness) and based on that level of form, this stocky three-year-old should easily be capable of shaking a tail feather on back this deeper surface.
FORCE AND VALOUR – 1-point each-way@5-1
8.22 KEMPTON
HAKU (best price 8-1) looked on good terms with himself when scoring in tidy fashion at Wolverhampton last time out and there appears no obvious reason why Mark Loughnane’s gelding won’t well again over a C&D where he has performed to a fair level in the past.
A keen-going sort, the key to this all-weather specialist is he must have a decent gallop to be at his best and, surprisingly for a four-runner race, that is precisely what he got thanks to the exploits of Sax Appeal when at his happy hunting ground six days ago.
Just kept up to his work when the race was all but over, the six-year-old won with any amount in hand and providing tonight’s race develops in a similar fashion, he has every chance of repeating the dose around a track where he is a dual C&D winner.
HAKU – 1-point each-way@8-1