Sly’s Good Run Could Continue At Wetherby

Court Jester was well backed into as short as 8/1 in some places on Sunday, and as they turned for home he looked to be travelling ominously well into the race. However, he stopped as if shot after the second last fence, and there must have been something amiss. I had a 16/1 winner going onto him for an each way double, the second time in two days that a possible big win has been scuppered.

Pam Sly's horses are flying.

Tomorrow I like the look of one on handicap debut at Wetherby, and Mortens Leam could outrun his big odds off a mark of 104. This 5yo son of Sulamani trained by Pam Sly, and there are few yards in better form at the moment. She has sent out 3 winners and a 2nd from her last 5 runners, and hopefully this well related gelding can take a big step forward in this company.

All four of his half siblings have managed to win under rules, over trips ranging from 16f to 25f on all sorts of ground. Mortens Leam has only troubled the judge once, when runner up on his third start in a bumper at Market Rasen, but he did show a bit of promise on his penultimate start at Leicester (20.5f gd) back at the start of December.

That was just his second start over hurdles, and he was bang there at the second last having led for most of the race. He faded into 4th after jumping the last, and it makes sense to drop him back a furlong on his handicap debut. The winner of that race has since scored in a handicap off 119, and he was 14L ahead of Mortens Leam at the finish.

That would suggest a mark of 104 is more than fair, and Mr J Andrews takes off 7lbs. He has had 5 rides for Sly, and he has won on two and placed on another. Sly does well at Wetherby too, sending out 5 winners from 30 runners in the last 5 seasons. Mortens Leam can currently be backed at odds of 33/1 with Betfair and, at that sort of price, he is worth chancing for small stakes each way.

STEVOS’ SELECTION: 16.00 WETHERBY-MORTENS LEAM E/W 33/1