Three Saints Bay, only previous winner in a field of ten, looks gilt-edged for division one of the Novice Stakes over six furlongs of ‘good to soft’ Pontefract today when running in tandem will be another turf-flat fixture at Windsor, where ground conditions are forecast similar; I’ll believe that after computing race-times tomorrow.
Times don’t lie but clerks of courses continually push truth to a premium far too often; recent ground conditions have been extremely demanding and punters are being led astray, Newbury was a disaster and the ‘clerk’ should be sacked.
On a day set out for classic trials punters, trainers, owners, went into battle buoyed by prospects of ‘good to soft’ but an official going stick projection of 5.9 should have raised alarm bells.
Low readings indicate very soft ground, why then did the ‘clerk’ submit his seriously innacurate forecast?
117-rated Expert Eye ran well to finish runner-up, beaten three-quarters of a length by James Garfield, in the group three ‘Greenham’ over seven furlongs; on a genuine ‘good to soft’ surface Sir Michael Stoute’s charge would probably have won.
Now this acclamation colt has only 13 days ‘recovery time’ for the 2000 Guineas over the Newmarket Rowley Mile and it simply wont be enough, I’ll bet on that!
Given top class colts raced at .70 per furlong off a genuine pace throughout you don’t need me to labour the aforementioned points I’ve already made.
Punters need guidance, they’ll get it in this column which puts an emphasis on ‘not losing’ more than winning when continually confronted with adverse ground conditions.
Let’s move on and pinpoint useful time-handicap turf efforts like the ones Three Saints Bay achieved twice last October; David O’Meara’s charge is napped in anticipation of a replication. trainer in form.
Ingenuity should go close in the second leg and don’t oppose James Doyle’s mount, Fajjaj, in the Novice Stakes over ten furlongs of the picturesque Berkshire course, close to Windsor Castle.
Josephine Gordon rode Fajjaj for Hugo Palmer when making a successful debut at Ascot last Septemb
