Angus Mcnae
Captain's Blog, April 14
We nearly bagged a decent winner here on the blog yesterday when our each way selection Shadows Lengthen was third at 25/1. He ran well and still looked to have a chance at the furlong pole, but was just run out of it close home. The action today moves on to the Craven Meeting at Newmarket which is a meeting I have always had fond memories of.
As a young lad my parents would take myself and Rob Wright (now the Racing Editor at the Times Newspaper) to the meeting and we would stay in a hotel in the town and enjoy all the Racing which in those days took place over three days. Now the Craven is just a two day meeting and today I will be watching from home and then tomorrow will be working in the studio for Racing UK. The meeting has always been a fascinating one and often throws up horses that will be prominent players in major races for the rest of the year. Today the feature event is the Nell Gwyn stakes for fillies and is dubbed as a trial for the 1000 Guineas. I have put together some speed figures for the race which of course relate to the best past performances put up by this years field, as you look at them it has to be remembered that horses can improve dramatically from two to three.
Here are the figures for this years race:-
Music Show 107
Atasari 106
Blue Maiden 104
Distinctive 99
Dyna waltz 99
Hafawa 98
Jacqueline Quest 90
Principal Role 78
Queens Grace 87
Safina 57
Srda 85
These are the best speed figures that these fillies have achieved so far, but clearly the likes of Safina and Srda are capable of making a good deal of improvement. Music Show is top on last years performances and 9/2 looks to be a very fair price. It is impossible to guess how much improvement Safina may have and from a punting point of view Music Show has to be the way to go. Her course and distance win in the Rockfel Stakes is the best piece of form on offer and we know that she handles the track.
I am in the studio tonight to cover all the action from Kempton park. Dave Nevison will be my guest and as ever your emails are very welcome. Please send them to studio@racinguk.tv. We will be happy to deal with any topics that you want to talk about.
Enjoy the Craven Meeting.
Today’s Selections
4.10 Newmarket – Music Show ( each way 9/2 Skybet)
