Tanfeeth: a decent price at 10/1 to give Ed Dunlop victory in first race
THE Investec Horses Help the Heroes Handicap (1.40pm) is often a stepping-stone to stardom, with Conduit and Dandino just two examples of progressive horses going through the ranks en route to Group celebrations.
Dandino, who was allowed to start at 17/2 last year, has never stopped improving, so much so that he climbed into Group 2 company last time out and won the Jockey Club Stakes at Newmarket’s Guineas meeting. We need to look for a similar type of improver to solve this puzzle.
Malthouse is a typical Mark Johnston horse who loves to bowl along in front and will take some pegging back – I’d be surprised if back-to-lay punters on Betdaq weren’t able to lock in a profit rounding Tattenham Corner.
However, he won off a mark of 83 at both Sandown and Newmarket and he is now 15lb higher for his hat-trick bid which might find him out, so I suggest we look further down the scale for the key to this race.
One who definitely fits the bill is Ed Dunlop’s TANFEETH, who, having bumped into one of John Gosden’s most promising three-year-olds in Colombian at Chester – the pair pulled 10 lengths clear of the rest – broke his maiden in style at Sandown. He beat Almagest that day, who is also high up in the pecking order at Gosden’s, and is worth an each-way interest at 10/1 with William Hill.
Rain Mac is another who Gosden thinks could win a decent handicap
this year. I liked the way he buckled down to win his maiden at Newmarket last season, and, though beaten into third place on his comeback at York last month,
I am told that he has improved since, so he could be the chief danger to the selection.
You always have to keep stables-in-form on your side, and Roger Varian’s team are in terrific nick, so we have to respect the chances of Boogie Shoes, who, though only a 20,000 guineas horse, looked one with a real future when winning his first handicap at Salisbury. He has been raised 7lb, but, unlike some, the fast ground won’t be a problem for him.
James Given, successful 12 months ago with Dandino, saddles Sergeant Ablett, whose fourth to Buthelezi at Newmarket was given a boost when the Gosden horse finished second in listed company back at HQ last Saturday.
However, Sergeant Ablett is fully exposed and is probably a few pounds too high at the weights.
Less exposed is Trojan Heights, but, while William Haggas has mapped out this race for some time, the colt’s Ripon maiden win took a knock when runner-up Sir Francis Drake was beaten in another ordinary maiden back over Yorkshire’s garden course on Wednesday.
Sylvester Kirk and Mick Channon each boast two runners apiece. Charles Camoin was putting in all his best work at the finish when runner-up over a mile at Sandown, so the step up in distance has to be a plus and that gives him the edge over Kirk’s other representative, Great Shot. Gottany O’S definitely looks the better of Channon’s pair, but none of this quartet has the profile of Tanfeeth, Rain Mac or Boogie Shoes.