Paul Jacobs Sunday Racing Tips
2.05 Stratford – Joe Cotton
3.15 Naas – New Energy
4.55 Ripon – Ghost Rider (each way)
*All prices are bang up to date with our snazzy widgets, while odds in copy are accurate at time of publishing but subject to change.
Global Famenglory has obvious claims on a couple of pieces of form and the drop back in distance from an extended three miles at Warwick to two and three quarter miles on this sharper track should see her at her optimum set-up. Still, that she could still be vulnerable being a maiden after 10 starts. There is little doubt that Dan Skelton’s charge will be hard to keep out of the finishing picture, but Jeremy Scott’s charge Joe Cotton could offer a wee bit of value.
A winning point to pointer over two and a half miles, the son of Mount Nelson was fairly strong in the market on his hurdling debut at Kempton over two and a half miles, but he probably did too much too soon there and lost a shoe to boot. This extra quarter of a mile with the benefit of that run having taken the fizz out of him, makes the bay gelding of interest here.
After hitting the bar in big field handicaps off marks of 90 and 91, Mutasarref then came good in style with victories off 90, followed by a stakes after which he was rated 100 and then a Listed contest at Cork (Platinum Stakes) when he simply routed the opposition with a cracking turn of foot. There could be a lot more to come from the son of Dark Angel on only his 10th career start, but hopefully he will make the market for my pick New Energy.
Runner-up to Native Trail in last year’s Irish 2,000 Guineas, he was subsequently beaten only three and four lengths in two Group 1’s and this represents a much easier target. My confidence is further cemented by his comeback run when he made late headway on unsuitably deep ground last time out.
There are some pretty tricky handicaps at the picturesque North Yorkshire track, but that means there should be plenty of value on offer and this class 5, 0-70 event over a mile and a quarter fits that profile. My first port of call was the old boy Irv at the foot of the weights for Micky Hammond. Last a winner off a mark of 56 just under a year ago, the seven-year-old is set to run off 50 here and gets plenty of weight from the market leaders.
He was way too keen in a slowly run race at Newcastle last time out and this event should play more to his strengths. I make the seven-year-old the biggest danger to my big-priced selection Ghost Rider. Rated as high as 86 not too long ago and placed off 82, the gelding has recently moved to Grant Tuer from Mark Johnston via James Horton and now resides off a mark of 66. Absent for 191 days, he showed on his last start that he retains more than a modicum of ability to win a race of this mature and this drop in grade should also help.
Paul Jacobs Sunday Racing Tips
2.05 Stratford – Joe Cotton
3.15 Naas – New Energy
4.55 Ripon – Ghost Rider (each way)
*All prices are bang up to date with our snazzy widgets, while odds in copy are accurate at time of publishing but subject to change.
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