DAILY RACING PREVIEW BY ANDY HOLDING
SUNDAY JULY 20
3.05 CURRAGH
OUR FRIEND MOUSE (NAP) (best price 7-2) has pieced together two encouraging performances in victory and defeat over today’s C&D and with the clock saying his most recent effort is not to be sniffed at, Andy Oliver’s inmate easily rates the most interesting runner both for today and moving forward.
The Zoustar gelding made his debut here back in May and although sent off a 66-1 poke, he belied his starting price with a run of immense promise, staying on very strongly to claim second in the closing stages after getting outpaced and running green when the tempo cranked up turning for home.
Sent back to the Kildare venue, he was far more prominent in the market when tackling a similar contest and this time he made no mistake, once again picking up in taking fashion off the home bend to eventually run down the more experience Game Point, who had the run of the race from the front and was at least five lengths ahead with three to run.
Clearly going the right way on the evidence of both starts, the lightly raced three-year-old scores high on all sets of metrics from top stride length to best finishing speed percentage and with the strong possibility he will continue to improve from race to race, he makes plenty of appeal to take down today’s field on handicap debut.
OUR FRIEND MOUSE – 1-point win@7-2
4.42 NEWTON ABBOT
IMPECUNIOUS (best price 3-1) can count himself a shade unfortunate to bump into the progressive Keel Strand here last time out but it still a performance that equated to a career high on the figures and a chance is taken on Jeremy Scott’s gelding seeing out today’s trip.
There might have only been four runners at the west country venue 16 days ago, but Stinginhisstep ensured the gallop was an honest one from the outset and when he faded off the home turn, it became a battle between the six-year-old and the in-form Paul Nicholls favourite.
Although just losing out close home, the son of Imperial Monarch made the favourite pull out all the stops and with the overall time and final circuit sectionals by some way the best on the card, it was a performance that sets him up nicely for a crack at going one place better on his return visit.
IMPECUNIOUS – 1-point win@3-1