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Angus McNae's Racing UK Blog |
| Wednesday 28th June 2017 | |
Home Of The Brave can be Criterion Cracker at 6-1
The Betway Criterion Stakes at Newmarket on Saturday looks like being a decent renewal of the race and I am pleased that I will be at the track presenting for Racing UK.
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There are 18 entries in the race at the time of writing and both I and trainer Hugo Palmer will be hoping that Home Of The Brave can kick start his season.
By the very high standards that he set last year Hugo Palmer must be disappointed with how things have gone this year and his recent record of one winner from 31 runners in the last 14 days is surely testament to that.
It is hard to know why his season has yet to ignite. Pundits love to hang their hat on trainer form and so many will be against Home Of The Brave.
That suits me fine as it may mean we will get a better price about him on the day and, in any case, I have never been much of a believer in trainer form. Here is why I like Home of the Brave.
1. This horse has been very consistent for Hugo Palmer - his form largely impervious to how the rest of the yard are going. That is probably because he is a class act who is officially rated 114, which makes him a solid Group Three performer. His record of five wins from 13 starts speaks for itself and I see no reason why he will not give his running on Saturday whatever the form of the yard.
2. I was really impressed with his reappearance effort at Leicester. It came in the Listed King Richard III Stakes over seven furlongs. He made all the running and was a cosy winner under James Doyle, who is likely to ride again on Saturday. The form of the race looks good, with the runner-up Tasleet subsequently winning a Group Two over six furlongs at York before being beaten a neck by The Tin Man in the Diamond Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot. Home Of The Brave has had a nice break of 61 days, meaning he is very unlikely to have recoiled from that run and there is every reason to think he will be able to back that Leicester run up with another big effort.
3. If you delve deeper into his form you will surely become more and more confident, particularly if you study his win in the John Of Gaunt at Haydock last year where he made all and held on gamely from the Sir Michael Stoute-trained Convey. He had So Beloved and Breton Rock, who may re-oppose on Saturday, behind that day and will surely have their measure again.
4. He likes to make the running and that tactic can prove very successful on the July course. Importantly though, I am not sure he will encounter too much pressure for the lead. Salateen could be a nuisance if he runs, but he is not jocked up at the time of writing and without him Home Of The Brave may get a solo out in front. His main market rivals - Oh This Is Us, Breton Rock and Thikriyaat - are usually held up and that increases confidence.
5. He won his maiden on the July course and so the track holds no fears. There was 65mm of rain on Tuesday/overnight at Newmarket but it should dry out a bit before the weekend and, in any case, he has twice been first past the post on good to soft going.
6. I think this is very much a case of ignore trainer form and study the individual. When you do that, I think you too will agree that Home Of The Brave has an outstanding chance on Saturday, where I fully expect him to make all the running. He is a general 6-1, which looks massive.
Angus McNae’s Something For The Weekend
3.15 Newmarket: Home Of The Brave at a general 6-1
