MORE winners last week for Graeme Johnston (@GraemeJ_83). He takes a look at three races today.
14:35 Haydock | Channel 4
In my opinion this is the race of the day. Six horses that took part in last month's Lockinge Stakes line up here and it's a quality looking field.
Breton Rock is favourite after an encouraging season debut in that race, and though he should improve from that outing I wouldn't be prepared to take the 7/2 on offer to win this.
Cable Bay, Aljahmaaheer and the favourite finished within a length of each other and there is nothing much between them in this either. Though they possess the best form so far this season I'm taking a chance on something progressing past them.
The horse that I like the look of is Absolutely So. He had only ran three times before he turned four and he was a horse of huge potential going in to last season. He ran 10 times progressing into one of the top handicappers around.
He was backed off the boards to win the Wokingham at Royal Ascot but disappointed. However that wasn't his true running and he came second in the Bunbury Cup before winning a Listed race at York over seven furlongs.
He disappointed on his final two starts but he had been on the go for a long time and I'm prepared to forgive him that. He has run well fresh previously, has won in the month of May before and is on my list of horses to follow this season. I believe seven furlongs will be his best trip and I will be backing him at 11/1 to win his first Group race.
15:10 Haydock | Channel 4
This race revolves around Music Master. A top class sprinter I expect him to be contesting the big sprints for the rest of the season and to me he is easily the best horse in the race. The one negative however is he's a six furlong horse in a five furlong race so the question is can he win over the minimum distance?
He ran in the Golden Jubilee at Royal Ascot where he came 4th, and the Haydock Sprint Cup finishing 3rd, two of the biggest six furlong sprints around. If this race was over six furlongs I would imagine, Music Master would be around even money, which makes the 5/2 on offer tempting.
He takes on eight rivals here, six of whom have won over the minimum distance before, including former Nunthorpe winner Kingsgate Native. His best days are behind him now and as much as I expect him to run a solid race I don't see him as a likely winner.
Looking at the rest of the field I don't see any stand out contenders, and I feel that Music Masters class can see him through here and in my eyes the 5/2 is too tempting to resist.
15:45 Haydock | Channel 4
This race gives us an opportunity to see Limato who is the ante-post favourite for the inaugural running of the Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot. Unbeaten in five career starts and looking like a young sprinter destined for the top, Limato deserves to be favourite in this. My one concern though is that not many sprinters remain unbeaten, and it is notoriously hard to have them in peak form all year round.
This is not a weak race by any means, and if Henry Candy is using this as a prep to have Limato cherry ripe for his big target in June, there is a possibility he will lose his unbeaten record here.
I'm going to have an each way bet in this race and I'm taking a chance on a horse that has already been beaten twice by the favourite in the shape of Adaay. First time, he was 5/4 favourite to beat him, but he ran disappointingly and finished five lengths behind him. They met again on their seasonal debuts with Limato once again coming out on top this time finishing three lengths ahead.
Since then Adaay ran once more winning a solid looking Listed race by over a length and he is a progressive 3 year old. Though at the end of the season I expect Limato to be higher in the Sprint rankings than the selection, our horse doesn't have to win to give us a return and I think the 7/1 on offer is too good to refuse.
Best Bets
14:35 Haydock – Absolutely So to win (11/1 William Hill)
15:10 Haydock – Music Masters to win (5/2 Paddy Power)
15:45 Haydock – Adaay each way (8/1 William Hill)
