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Angus Mcnae

Captain’s Blog, March 23

Cheltenham is over and many will be mourning the end of another Festival, but with the Flat season starting on Saturday and the Dubai World Cup on the same day there really is little need to be feeling downbeat. I have had a preliminary look at the Lincoln Handicap on Saturday and it looks as impossible as ever for Punters at this stage. I am however quite keen on Manassas who is 10/1 with Skybet at the moment. He is a lightly raced gelding trained by Brian Meehan who is unbeaten in two starts at Doncaster. He won the Spring Mile at this meeting last year and then won a  competitive handicap there on his final start of the year. He clearly goes well at the track which is important given how many horses do not act there since the track underwent a revamp. As important is his ability to go well when fresh. His two wins last year both came after breaks and given that he has just had nine runs in his career there may be more to come from this son of Cape Cross. I am a speed figure man and his figures are respectable rather than spectacular, but his two top efforts came at Doncaster which gives me some encouragment. He is not a great price at 10/1 but he has an obvious chance.

I also had a look at the chances of the Favourite Penitent who is also lightly raced. He is bred to be a sprinter but is effective at a mile, however I think his pedigree suggests he will always be at his best on an easy surface. His sire is Kyllachy who was best on soft ground as are his progeny. His dam sire is Bishop of cashel who has imparted his need for soft ground to his progeny as well. Penitent has run three times on the all weather and just twice on turf where the ground was good on one occasion and good to soft on the other. It may just be that he will be best on easy ground which he may get on Saturday, but if he does not then I would not be keen on his chances. One further point about the favourite is that he is a strong traveller who may be best suited to seven furlongs rather than the mile of Saturday’s race.

I am off work today and will be on a mission to Tesco’s shortly to stock up for another week. I am not a great fan of this shopping lark but having been to this particular branch more than once I now know where everything is and can usually whizz round in 20 minutes or so. Getting round quickly depends on me writing a list of course which is my first task once I have finished here. It is my last day of leisure before I will be working four straight days for Racing UK and I am particularly looking forward to Thursday night when I will be joined by Nick Luck for some evening action from Kempton. Nick and I have not worked together for a long time, indeed I was presenting when Nick worked his first ever shift on the old Attheraces. Amazingly that did not put him off and he has gone from strength to strength since then. It should be a fun show and as ever you are invited to get involved at the usual address, studio@racinguk.com.

I was very sweet on our Blog selection Ninth House yesterday and backed him accordingly. He ran a flat race and finished out the back. He is better than that and I will be going in again when he next appears he is definitley a horse to keep on the right side of. I was annoyed that I was wide of the mark yesterday so I have had a look at the horses career record again and it is now blindingly obvious that he needs Silvestre de Sousa in the irons. This excellent young jockey seems to get the best out of Ninth House and the horses best comes at seven furlongs or a mile. So we have paid to learn something yesterday and will be able to put our knowledge to good use with this fellow over the next few weeks.

 

Right enough from me for another day. I am off to Tesco’s. Whatever you are up to have a good day.

 

Todays Selection’s

Antepost William Hill Lincoln – Mannassas (each way 10/1 Skybet) 

3.40 Kempton – Woolfall treasure -(each way 7/2 Skybet)

5.10 Southwell – Irish Symphony (each way 8/1 Skybet)

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