Fentara Chasing Yet More Gold

Well the 2013 Festival is over and what a week it was, we had the new crowning of King Sprinter Sacre and the Re crowning of Hurricane Fly. But we also saw heroes of yester year back to their beautiful best, the World Hurdle is the main topic on that front. Solwhit who was out for 2 years with an injury took the money and just as heart warmingly Celestial Halo ran a huge race to be second as silly odds for him.

But with all the glory comes despair, we not only lost the life of Matuhi but JT McNamara remains in a medically induced coma. I suppose the only good news to come out of the news is that there is no brain damage, but he has still suffered a serious neck injury with 2 broken vertebrae. We can only hope he makes a full recovery, at least enough to be back with his wife and children who have been by his bedside the whole time.

Today I'm writing a blog that could be completely pointless as both Doncaster and Newbury have serious inspections to pass. But we are hoping that the official first day of the flat season featuring the Lincoln gets underway without any worries. Jumping is also scheduled at Newbury and for a week after Cheltenham the standard there is very high. If those meetings fail to go ahead then we have the joys of Southwell to look forward to, which I am definitely not up for watching.

Onto this weeks racing though and hopefully a few winners this week!

2:20 Newbury - Fentara

Opening up with the strongest bet of the day and one with plenty of stable support behind her today. Fentara originally had an entry in the 4 miler at Cheltenham but Tim Walford was uncertain whether she'd stay the gruelling trip. So they have elected to come here instead for the easier task but still very good prize money. She turned in by far her best effort last time out when she was third in the towton behind Goulanes and Cheltenham runner up Super Duty. Seven lengths separated her and the other two that day and it would have been shorter were it not for a last fence blunder. But with a reassurance that he goes on the ground and Tim Walford was praying for the course to be able to handle all the rain, she gets the vote to get our afternoon off to a flyer. (10/3)

2:55 Newbury - Umadachar

Warren Greatrex's Mare has been better this season for her step up in trip from her bumper days last season over 2 miles. She looks like an out and out stayer and probably one that will get three miles in time as she proved last time and also over 2 miles 6 furlongs. Her latest run was at Sedgefield and is also the only time she has run under the hands of the Champ, AP McCoy. She put in a tremendous battling performance that day to give away a stone to Phase Shift who won next time out. Umadachar was held in very high regard in her bumper season and rewarded that faith with a third in the Aintree Mares Bumper, 2 lengths behind Eleven Fifty Nine. We also know she can act on the going after winning on it twice this year but failing on it when giving a lot of weight away at Fontwell. The going that day was very very heavy though and probably a bit worse than she likes. One last mention is that she is by Turgeon who is also the sire of the late Exotic Dancer and Victor Chandler winner Turgeonev. Class runs in the family. (10/1) Another one in the race that I have been watching for a little while is Toubeera from the bang in form Venetia Williams yard, she failed to justify short odds last time out but was never really travelling that day. She is much more at home on this sort of ground and over this distance however. I fully expect her to reverse the form with Glorious Twelfth as that was after a huge layoff of almost two years and her form with Utopie Des Bordes looks smart. A good each way bet (22/1)

3:15 Doncaster - Jack Dexter

Jim Goldie had plenty of fun with this one last year landing some valuable handicaps along the way including the Ayr Bronze Cup. He went on to win two more big handicaps on testing ground before being beat well at Doncaster on fast ground at the end of a long season. He was put away for the winter after that race, rightly so as well. Now he is a four year old and if the time off has strengthened him even more he could be a top class horse this year, especially on this kind of ground. Graham Lee retains the ride this season and gets on very well with the horse who has also been backed early into favouritism. This is a step up in class today, but Jack Dexter looks more than capable and should be thereabouts at the finish. (11/4)

3:30 Newbury - As De Fer

The booking of Aidan Coleman instantly draws your eye towards Anthony Honeyball's gelding off a mark of 135 which he has won off before. Last time he was beaten out of sight on testing ground, that was his first run for a year however and he wasn't knocked around at all. He is also stepped up to a reasonable trip today after last time was clearly just a fitness run over almost a mile shorter than today. If that wasn't enough, they also put a seven pound claimer on board to ease the load he had to carry last time, it was in effect a racecourse gallop for a bigger race. That race is today and you'd expect him to be spot on for the outing, it's interesting that there is early money for him as well the night before the race. A strong selection (13/2)

3:50 Doncaster - Memory Cloth

Brian Ellison had a winner with his only runner yesterday which will have boosted stable confidence behind his runners today. Memory Cloth is the mount of Dale Swift, with Kieren Fallon taking the ride of stable mate Global Village. His rating is down to a pound over his last winning mark and to me he is better than a 97 rated horse. The last three times he has been beaten fairly easily but this return to soft ground will be much more to his liking. In all honesty the fibre sand of Wolverhampton was never really going to be his cup of tea last time out, his price reflected that. But today he has a very big chance, albeit in a tough race, he is drawn well though on the far side coming from stall one and if he bags the early rail could be there at the end. (25/1)

4:40 Newbury - Wilde Blue Yonder

Back to Newbury now and one for Alan King with the second time out Wilde Blue Yonder under Wayne Hutchinson. Usually that would mean he is playing second fiddle to a stronger stable mate but with Choc injured he gets the main ride. He will be looking to build on his debut effort when narrowly going down to Champion Bumper fifth Purple Bay from John Ferguson's yard. Those two were 9 lengths clear of the next horse and clearly have a bit of talent about them representing two powerful yards. One of the doubts this week about Wilde Blue Yonder was the ground, but Alan King quashed any worries drawing on the fact his breeding suggests he'll be fine. Despite it looking a tough race today he may not need to do much more than he did on debut to land the spoils here and looks a worthy joint favourite. Id also like to wish my two friends I met at Cheltenham last week the best of luck with him as they own part shares in the horse. (3/1)

5:10 Newbury - Sustainability

Venetia Williams and Aidan Coleman can round of a good day's work here in the last with the consistent Sustainability. The selection is already a course winner this year back in December when beating the useful Double Dash and Ballinroab. He was giving away weight that day, even with Robbie Dunne's 3 pound claim and still managed to win fairly comfortably, resulting in a hike in the weights. He is 10 pounds higher today but showed that is no real worry after going very close off this mark last time at Wincancton behind Criqtonic for Paul Nicholls. Sustainability is probably a better horse going left handed as well after hanging last time at Wincanton which is a right handed track, his better form is all on left handed tracks as well. The ground will be absolutely no worries for him today and should justify favouritism for an in form yard and rider. (11/4)


NAP - Fentara
Nb - Wilde Blue Yonder

Lets hope for a few winners today and cash in some beer tokens for tonight, may you dinner be bookie funded!

Happy Punting Guys