Thank god for good old Commanche Falls. To be fair, Seven Questions ran a cracking race, as did Star Anthem. However, Li Ban wasn’t held up as I hoped and unsurprisingly faded late. It was a tough weekend of punting but at least we managed to avoid the dreaded blank with the NAP.
This weekend there is a quality Saturday card at Newmarket. The race I have my eye on for a little ante-post flutter is the Cambridgeshire Handicap and in the hope that the rain forecast for later this week materialises, I am throwing a few quid e/w at a 100/1 poke.
Back in March, Navagio had his first start for James Horton
in the Lincoln Handicap at Doncaster (8f, sft). It was a UK baptism of fire for
the son of Footstepsinthesand but he ran a massive race on the rain softened
ground off a mark of 96.
Not once, not twice but three times he encountered traffic
problems, so he did well to stay on for third, beaten 3.5l for the
win by Mr Professor. Since then, however, he has failed to hit the same heights. He
finished down the field at Newbury on his next start, he was then beaten 6l at Sandown
in a mickey mouse handicap and after another nondescript effort at Newcastle,
he was given a couple of months off.
On his return from that 71 day break he ran at Ascot (8f)
and it looked like a sharpener for a bigger day. He was fresh early but he did
run on well near the finish and I think the 9f at Newmarket will be right up
his street. His last win, for Ray Cody in Ireland, came over that trip on soft at
Gowran last year and he was giving 12lb to the 96 rated runner up.
After his last few runs, the handicapper has given Navagio a
real chance. He is now down to a mark of 91, 5lb lower than he was for his fine
run in the Lincoln. James Horton has had a couple of winners in the last fortnight,
which is a plus, and though Navagio is also entered at Haydock this weekend, I
am hoping Horton has been campaigning him with this race in mind.
His odds of 100/1 are more than big enough to warrant a
small e/w interest, hopefully the rain arrives.
2024 Cambridgeshire Handicap Ante-Post Tip: Navagio e/w @
100/1 (5 places)
No comments:
Post a Comment