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Captain's Blog - Monday 30th April 2012
You could not fail to be impressed with Cirrus Des Aigles yesterday. He dominated the Prix Ganay from the moment the stalls opened and is a high-class colt who would be an interesting opponent for Frankel over 10 furlongs.
He ran 11 times last season and has never ducked a challenge. This year he has already run three times and you can bet that we will see him at Royal Ascot and in the Champion Stakes later in the year. He is clearly very tough and talented, the fact that the 'Butterfly' Olivier Peslier rides him is a bonus and means that he will always be given a good ride in the big races and he is a horse to side with wherever he turns up throughout the season.
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I am in the booth today for all the action from Kempton Park. The racing is very competitive with over 100 runners spread over the eight races. I guess the field sizes have been increased as a result of the wet weather we have had. At least the Polytrack will be standard and for many horses that will be a lot better than heavy ground on turf.
The big race comes up at 5.15pm and it is full of in-form horses. One that is worth consideration is Intercept. His best form is at the Kempton track and two starts ago ran very well there. Last time out he disappointed on very soft ground, but he should not be written off on account of that performance. It may be that he is a synthetic specialist and he looks pretty well in and can run well for us at a decent price. An added bonus is that he comes from the in-form yard of John Gosden and has a very good draw in stall 2. Already this morning he has been backed from 7-1 into 4-1 and clearly others see it as I do. Good luck if you get involved.
I do not support either Man City or United but I will be glued to the game between them this evening. I think it will be a cagey affair given that a draw is a good result for Man Utd. I think that United will adopt the same policy that they did away from home in their Champions League games, which is to sit deep and soak up pressure and try to nick a goal on the break. It will be a fascinating tactical battle and I cannot see there being many goals. My gut feeling is that it will be a low-scoring draw. It is an unmissable clash though and I am very much looking forward to it.
I hope you enjoy our coverage from Kempton Park today.
All the best.
Today’s Selection
5.15pm Kempton - Intercept
