Champagne corks were popping in the hotel last night after Clon Brulee had landed us a good touch. Well, needless to say, the busty blonde from the previous night found a new affection for Helmet and was right over. Now Helmet being himself, couldn’t see through this rouge and was delighted to be getting some attention, from what can only be described on closer inspection as a larger lady! For those people old enough to remember the film Crocodile Dundee, what happened next will not come as a complete surprise, however it did come as a complete surprise to Helmet as he totally missed the warning signs – the adams apple and 5 o’clock shadow! Moving on.
There was more rain last night but not a great deal, however the ground at Doncaster remains on the easy side and so any bets today should factor that in. My key word all week has been patience, wait until the right opportunity arises rather than force the issue. Today follows that pattern. As you know by now, I like to back horses proven rather than probably will ie.horses that have shown they can handle trip, course and ground rather than those that probably will and over some unique distances, this is a key attribute.
Today, Doncaster’s 4.25pm is run over a trip of 6 and a half furlongs, which doesn’t happen very often. So I’m suggesting we look for a horse who can handle this extended sprint trip without it stretching their stamina. Add in the fact that the horse needs to be able to cope with softer ground and we are looking for very specific things. Step forward Shropshire, a horse that once ran Frankel to 10 lengths as a 3yo. He can handle good to soft, has run well over both 6f and 7f so should be ok at the trip and has good course form. His last run at Goodwood was poor, but he doesn’t like Goodwood so ignore it, and it means he will go off at a bigger price than he should. He is available at 7s with William Hill.
