It’s impossible not to like and admire Charlie Fellowes: he is one of those people who gives 100 per cent to whatever he sets his mind to. The Newmarket trainer’s enthusiasm for racing and the horses in his care is infectious, and he is always willing to talk to the media about plans for his stable stars.
In short, Fellowes is a wonderful ambassador for the sport and he deserves all the big-race success that he has enjoyed in his first decade as a trainer. By his own high standards, Fellowes has had a relatively quiet season so far but I am convinced that the second half of his season will be better than the first half for him. My thinking partly comes from the fact that the astute handler is adamant that he has some really promising two-year-olds among his 65-strong string.
The one big race that Fellowes has landed this season is the Victoria Cup at Ascot in May with THE WIZARD OF EYE. I expect that horse to return to the track later this month to contest another valuable seven-furlong handicap: the Moet & Chandon International Stakes on 27 July.
The Wizard of Eye didn’t run badly at Royal Ascot when sixth to Khadeem in the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes but that race, and the way he got outpaced early on, told connections that their five-year-old gelding is clearly better suited by seven furlongs than six.
The handicapper has kept Wizard of Eye on a mark of 102 despite his fine run in the Royal Ascot Grade 1 contest – and that official mark is just 3 lbs higher than when he won the Victoria Cup. Back him each way at 12-1 for the International, with Paddy Power, Betfair or Betfred, all offering five places. There is plenty more 12-1 around too with bookies paying just four places.
One horse in the Fellowes yard that deserves a change of luck is GORAK. He got beaten on the nod in a Newmarket handicap in May by Carrytheone, the horse that I tipped last week to win the bet365 Bunbury Cup at Newmarket a week tomorrow. In fact, the form of that Newmarket race looks rock solid and Gorak has dropped to a nice mark of 95, fully 10 lbs lower than a year ago.
In his most recent race, Gorak was drawn on the ‘wrong’ side at Royal Ascot in the Buckingham Palace Stakes when all the action took place on the near side with horses drawn high having a massive advantage. In fact, the first ten home in that 26-runner race were all drawn in stall 18 or higher. Gorak, who was drawn in berth 3, was not disgraced to be 12th because he stayed close to the far rail for the entire race.
Gorak seems suited better to Newmarket than Ascot too, so I think his odds of 25-1 for the Bunbury Cup do him a disservice. Take that price each way with bet365, Paddy Power, Betfair or Unibet, all paying four places. Provided both my each-way tips line up, I will be very happy going into the Bunbury Cup with Carrytheone at 10-1 and Gorak at 25-1 respectively. One word of warning, however: Gorak would not want really soft ground so we have to hope Newmarket misses the worst of the rain next week.
The big race this weekend is the Group 1 Coral Eclipse Stakes at Sandown tomorrow (3.35 p.m.). The race is over 1 mile 2 furlongs and is worth more than £425,000 to the winning connections but it makes no appeal as a betting proposition. City of Troy will win if he runs up to his best but odds of around 1-3 are not tempting in any way. Furthermore, I can’t find a horse I like enough each way to oppose the Betfred Derby winner.
Until 24 hours ago, I had intended to tip several horses running this weekend. That was in the hope that heavy rain would stay clear of Sandown, where I fancied good-ground horses, and that it would tip it down at Haydock, where I was sweet on the chances of a soft-ground horse. Sadly, it is almost certainly going to be Sandown that gets lots of the wet stuff, while Haydock looks as though it will stay largely dry.
However, in the hope that the ground is no worse that ‘good to soft’ at Sandown tomorrow, I am still going to put up two horses.
The first of those is in the Grade 3 Coral Charge (1.50 p.m.) over five furlongs. Live In The Dream will win this race if running up to his best but that’s a pretty big ‘if’ given his poor showing when fifth at Haydock last time out in a listed race. He went off the 5-4 favourite that day but was beaten by more than ten lengths by the winner, Believing.
I would prefer to back MAKAROVA, who was second in this Sandown race last year and will appreciate being dropped in class from her Grade 1 run last time out at Royal Ascot. In the King Charles III Stakes, Ed Walker’s mare ran too freely in her first time-blinkers but still finished a respectable seventh to the Australian hot-shot Asfoora.
The cheekpieces are back on Makarova tomorrow and so back her each way at 13-2 with bet365, BetVictor, Betfred, Ladbrokes or Coral, all paying three places.
In the Coral Challenge (2.25 p.m.), Jonny Portman’s TWO TEMPTING is overpriced, given the horse has won no less than four of his five races this season, including over this course and distance last time out. The five-year-old gelding has struck up a decent partnership with jockey David Egan, who again gets the ride tomorrow.
The handicapper was lenient on Two Tempting for his most recent win, raising him by just 2 lbs to a new mark of 95. Back the horse each way at 15-2 with Betfred or SkyBet, both paying four places. There is plenty of 15-2 around with bookies paying one place less.
Pending:
1 point each way Makarova at 13-2 for the Coral Charge, paying 1/5th odds, 3 places.
1 point each way Two Tempting at 15/2 for the Coral Challenge, paying 1/5th odds, 4 places.
1 point each way Carrytheone at 10-1 for the Bunbury Cup, paying 1/4 odds, 4 places.
1 point each way Gorak at 25-1 for the Bunbury Cup, paying 1/4 odds, 4 places.
1 point each way The Wizard of Eye at 12-1 for the International Stakes, paying 1/5th odds, 5 places.
Last weekend: – 4 points
1 point each way Zoffee at 9-1 for the Northumberland Plate, paying 1/5th odds, six places. Unplaced. – 2 points.
1 point each way Solent Gateway at 25-1 for the Northumberland Plate, paying 1/5th odds, six places. Unplaced – 2 points.
2024 flat season running total + 10.7 points.
2023-4 jumps season: + 42.01 points on all tips.
2023 flat season: – 48.22 points on all tips.
2022-3 jumps season: + 54.3 points on all tips.
My gambling record for the past eight years: I have made a profit in 15 of the past 17 seasons to recommended bets. To a 1 point level stake over this period, the overall profit of has been 517 points. All bets are either 1 point each way or 2 points win (a point is your chosen regular stake).
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