In this regular Monday segment, racing expert Scott Armstrong rounds up all the action of note from this weekend’s racing for SBC Blog readers.
This week Scott picks apart the action from Saturday and the horses to watch in the future including how Brown Panther who finished a strong 2nd in the St Leger should be one to watch if stepped up further in trip
Masked Marvel gave trainer John Gosden and jockey William Buick back-to-back triumphs in the St Leger at Doncaster rewarding his backers at 15-2. Masked Marvel won racing’s oldest classic by a cosy three lengths margin. Brown Panther ran a mighty race also priced at 15-2 to claim second while hot favourite Sea Moon was given a poor ride by Oliver Peslier in finishing third.
Masked Marvel displayed a fine burst of acceleration to put the race to bed, breaking the course record time by 0.63 seconds. Brown Panther’s rider Kieren Fallon suggested his mount may be suited better by softer ground . Brown Panther was running on with zeal at the finale of this fourteen furlong trip and a step up to two miles should be within his compass. If he got his favoured ground it’s possible he could be a horse for his owner Michael Owen to take to Royal Ascot and the Gold Cup. Blue Bunting was well beaten and it looked as if the race was one too many in what has been a gruelling campaign for her.
French Navy landed a Group 3 Stakes at Doncaster odds of 2-1. This was a facile success and Godolphin’s three-year old is improving having suffered some niggling setbacks in training last season. Ten furlongs should prove his ideal trip and he should make the step up to Group 2 level.
Trumpet Major earned himself a 33-1 quote for the 2000 Guineas after winning the Group 2 Insurance Champagne Stakes at Doncaster. Richard Hannon’s juvenile had disappointed at Royal Ascot in the Coventry Stakes but is clearly still progressing and highly regarded within the Hannon camp.
Man Of Action’s price for the Cambridgeshire was cut to 12-1 after winning the Class 2 Handicap at Doncaster though he will require good ground to play a leading role in the race.
Bronterre was the biggest eye-catcher of the weekend when winning the Class 1 race at Goodwood over seven furlong and this Dewhurst entrant looks destined for big things.
In France, Excelebration claimed a first Group One win in the Qatar Prix du Moulin. Racing a little too keenly in the early part of the race the three-year old colt eventually settled before quickening well to defeat Godolphin’s Rio De La Plata. The ground wasn’t ideal for Excelebration but he was simply too strong for this smart field which included Rajasaman and Dubawi Gold. Excelebration is now destined for either the QEII or the Breeders Cup and the latter may be the sensible option as the formidable Frankel will be nigh on impossible to beat.
I mentioned in Friday’s column Bryan Smart’s Free Zone was expected to win if he got a decent draw in a nursery at Chester. Unfortunately he was drawn badly in stall seven but still ran a hardy race to finish second, beaten by a neck at 7-1.
Scott’s service is one of the many racing and sporting tipsters that we monitor and recommend at the Smart Betting Club. You can read more from Scott via his racing column at the Smart Betting Club every Monday and Friday.