Examiner Worth Backing On Return To Newmarket

I was absolutely delighted with how Lace Bonnet performed for us at Cork on Sunday. Katy Brown’s filly was friendless in the market, drifting all the way out to 33/1. However, she was always up in the firing line and a furlong out it looked like she had bested her rivals, but a late challenge from Song Of The Sky meant she had to settle for 2nd.
 

Examiner will love the ground at HQ.

Tomorrow racing returns to Newmarket for the first time this season and it is a very nice card for a Tuesday. The one I like goes in the mile handicap at 4.10 and I think Examiner has the credentials to run a massive race for Stuart Williams and Fran Berry. This is not my first time to tip up this horse and he ran a cracker for us in the Cambridgeshire (9f gd/sft) here last season at silly odds (and also in 2015).

For some reason the bookmakers tend to price this son of Excellent Art up at inflated odds in these big field handicaps, and a lot of the time he defies them by running well. As regards tactics he is versatile, as he has won when racing prominently and also when held up off a strong pace. The stalls will be on the stands side at Newmarket so he has a good draw in stall 17 and Fran Berry should have options from there.

Berry has ridden Examiner once before, at Epsom last season (10f gd), and they were only beaten a length in 4th off a mark of 92. Examiner went on to win his next outing off the same rating quite easily at Salisbury (8f gd/sft) and he will be getting identical ground conditions at Newmarket on Tuesday. Best of all, he is only a pound higher now off a mark of 93.

The good to soft ground is a huge positive for Examiner as he has a superb record on that type of surface. Both his turf wins and his best runs at Newmarket came on good to soft and he will have no excuses on that front on Tuesday. He had a nice pipe opener to blow away the cobwebs at Wolves when beaten just over 3L after a slow start and that should have put him cherry ripe for his return to the turf.

Stuart Williams hasn’t had a winner in the past fortnight but he has had a couple of 2nds and 3rds so his horses are in decent form. Examiner has run well on three of his four outings on the Rowley Course at Newmarket with his sole poor effort coming on good to firm. With conditions in his favour I think another big run could be on the cards and at 20/1 he should go well for each way players.

STEVOS’ SELECTION: 4.10 NEWMARKET: EXAMINER E/W @ 20/1