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Tanya Stevenson's Racing UK Blog |
| Sunday 4th May 2014 |
Side with the Princess in the fillies’ Classic
Did Thor’s hammer hit the stalls causing the 2000 Guineas runners to split in two? Night Of Thunder rumbled all over the last furlong veering left yet still had enough enough momentum to triumph holding off both Kingman and Australia. Congratulations to all connected with Night Of Thunder - Richard Hannon has won a Classic in his first season, first of many no doubt.
I have yet to see much of the race, as soon as the stalls open it’s head down pen at the ready for the starting prices.
By the time I’ve double checked them there’s only a furlong to go and the urgency is to call the 1-2-3 precisely to the real grafters who type up the graphics.
What I did notice was the lack of people going to collect! With Night Of Thunder going off at 40-1 it’s hardly surprising. Canvassing some of the on-course bookmakers the biggest bet I found was £50 each-way and a few £20 each-way. Fair play if you were one.
Everything is easy with hindsight, but Richard Hughes did state after Night Of Thunder's Doncaster win in October that he thought his mount could be a Guineas horse!
The only time he has ever been beaten is by Kingman in the Greenham Stakes. Australia shortened as favourite for the Investec Derby after his third-placed finish yet I wonder what will happen after True Story appears next. Barley Mow, who he left standing in the Feilden Stakes, franked the form on the Rowley Mile on Saturday in one of the shoulder races.
However the highlight of the day for me has to be Sole Power, what a warrior. He has won at least once over the last six years, to think he was 100-1 when he won the Nunthorpe in 2010! It won't be long before we see the full sprinting force of the Edward Lynam stables with Slade Power and Viztoria waiting to reappear!
Another positive was to see the Rowley Mile betting ring so vibrant, busy and packed.
The public address system was very loud at Sandown last week and at Newmarket the decibels were no lower. I’m all for the additional on-course entertainment and the ploy to attract newcomers back, but please turn down the volume a couple of notches.
The Scoop6 bandwagon rolls on to Ascot next week, with Pandar in Goodwood’s 3.30 reducing 1318 tickets to a very unlucky 13 in the Thirsk Hunt Cup. Only one found Fort Bastion and that rolled on to Noozhoh Canarias in the 2000 Guineas. Seems the best ploy next week is to use a pin!
My luck seems to have totally disappeared in this quarter, so check out my picks with caution. Bancnuanaheirann intrigues me over a mile and a half. He loves Newmarket’s Rowley Mile course but runs over a mile and nine furlongs. On his last visit to Suffolk he landed the Silver Cambridgeshire.
His run this season have been solid and his fifth to Grandeur in the Middle Distance Championship at Lingfield made me sit up and countdown to his appearance back at the Rowley Mile and here we are.
As for the Qipco 1000 Guineas, sentimentally I’d love to see Clive Brittain’s celebratory dance, yet I’ve always been in the Princess Noor fan club and after Night Of Thunder anything can happen. Lady Lara didn’t ran that badly behind J Wonder.
Tanya Stevenson's Sunday tips:
2.05 Newmarket: Bancnuanaheireann at 16-1 with BetVictor
3.50 Newmarket: Princess Noor each-way at 33-1 with BetVictor
Tanya Stevenson's Sunday pointers:
Only one of the last ten favourites has won.
The last eight winners came from the first six in the betting.
Sir Michael Stoute has won the race five times from his last seven.
Six of the last seven winners were making their seasonal debut.
Ryan Moore has won on four of his last five rides in the Dahlia Stakes.
Only one of the last ten favourites have obliged.
The oldest winner in the last ten years was six.
Fourteen of the last 20 winners were making their seasonal debut.
Since 2000 ten of the winners were priced 10-1 or bigger.
Only six of the last 20 favourites have won.
Eight of the last ten won on their most recent start.
Seven of the last ten had run at Newmarket July or Rowley Mile.
Seven of the last ten had won at least a Group 3.
Eight of the last ten ran in four or more races as a two-year-old.
Nine of the last ten had won at least twice beforehand.
Seven of the last ten winners had failed to win on their racecourse debut.
Seven of the last ten winners ran in no worse than a Group 3 last time out.
Eight of the last ten winners had won over at least seven furlongs previously.
2.20 Salisbury:
Nine of the last ten winners came from the first three in the betting, five were favourites
