2:05 Unibet Moneyback As Cash Races Handicap Hurdle 2m 4f 139y
Broughshane is probably the one to be with, in the hope that a switch of stables will bring him back to his best. This is his first start for Mickey Bowen, having left Jonjo O’Neill, and he’d have a definite chance on the best of his form for previous connections.
Broughshane lost his way in the spring when put to fences before new connections paid £23k for him at the sales in May, and Bowen is quick to reach for blinkers.
It’s worth noting that the Bowen stable has an excellent record at this fixture and this is unlikely to be a ‘suck it and see’ run for Broughshane given he’s been with the stable a couple of months already and the use of sever headgear suggests intent, as does the stable’s 24% strike-rate first time up with stable switchers.
Broughshane comes with some risks attached, but it’s a similar story with many in the field, and he’s just the type to relish a change of scenery.
2:40 Unibet Same Race Multi Summer Handicap Hurdle 2m 125y
One thing to bear in mind today is the forecast for fairly heavy rain, which may well turn the ground unseasonably soft at Market Rasen, and most of those laid out for the meeting have shown their best form on a sound surface.
Castel Gandolfo beat Kihavah on such a surface 12 months ago, and while the winner has a fine record at ‘Rasen, most of his better efforts have come on good ground, and soft ground would be a negative for him (has been withdrawn due to deteriorating conditions in the past).
Kihavah also prefers top of the ground, and I’d be keen to oppose the pair if the rain arrives in the forecast quantities.
Throw Sir Galahad and Brave Knight in as another pair who seem to like to hear their hooves rattle, and the top of the market looks very wobbly here. Cavern Club handles quicker ground but three of his last four wins have come on soft and he bounced back to his best when winning on the flat at Chester last time when coping with attritional conditions better than his rivals.
He is 6lb above his winning mark in this sphere but has little handicap experience over timber and his flat profile suggests he may do better yet.
3:12 Unibet Summer Plate Handicap Chase 2m 5f 89y
Sure Touch won this on good ground last year, but Anthony Honeyball’s gelding doesn’t need such ground to show his form and is unbeaten over fences on soft or heavy ground, winning at Uttoxeter and Perth in the 2023/24 season.
He’s much higher in the weights now than for those wins but is well suited by the demands of this contest and is capable of winning again from a mark of 136. He was hard to place for a while after his win here 12 months ago but has only just dropped back below that winning mark and may find cheekpieces aiding his cause here.
The other one of interest should the ground ride soft is Horantzau d’Airy, who won his first two chases in soft/heavy for Willie Mullins before being given a stiff handicap mark after a good second in the Kerry National last autumn.
He got back to form from a reduced mark when runner-up for Michael Keady at Uttoxeter last time and is just the type that Sarah Bradstock does well with, so makes appeal on debut for another new yard now.
1:50 BetVictor Steventon Stakes (Listed) 1m 2f
Bolster isn’t the pick on the ratings here, but with Newbury also subject to thundery showers, he appeals as a value bet on what should be a yielding surface.
Karl Burke’s charge is best suited by this trip with some ease, and his record over a mile and a quarter on yielding/soft ground is four wins from five starts and while others have individual pieces of form that give them stronger claims, his consistency in the conditions makes him of interest at the odds.
It’s true that Bolster was below form when only fourth to Hamish in the Tapster Stakes at Goodwood last month, that came over mile and a half and he appeared not to stay having led early on there. This is his trip, and he should make the frame at least if bouncing back as expected.
2:25 Back The Super Boost At BetVictor Handicap 2m 110y
Two runs at Newbury for Kyle Of Lochalsh have yielded a win and a third-place finish in this race last term. He was subsequently placed in the Goodwood Stakes and in the Listed Prix Scaramouche and wasn’t seen to best effect on his return at Southwell.
He has a good recent record when switching to turf from Tapeta, winning at Salisbury last May having been well beaten in the All-Weather Championships Marathon on his previous start, and I’d expect him to do better here after that Southwell spin, which will certainly have blown away the cobwebs.
2:57 Hallgarten And Novum Wines Hackwood Stakes (Group 3) 6f
Kind Of Blue has been miles below his best in two starts this year and is impossible to back with any confidence as a result, with his temperament now as much of a worry as his form. Regional has obvious claims but it’s debatable whether those claims would be enhanced by rain, whereas Fair Angelica would definitely benefit from the forecast showers and has form figures on good or softer ground of 1214.
Richard Hughes is having a fine time with his sprinting fillies, and while Fair Angelica has done a lot of her racing over seven furlongs, she was a listed winner over this trip at Salisbury in May, showing that she is versatile as well as reliable.
Fair Angelica flopped behind a few of these in the Chipchase at Newcastle last time, but that was a rare poor effort and it’s worth noting that her only other below-par efforts in recent times also came on Tapeta at Wolverhampton, suggesting the surface is not ideal for her.
3:30 Weatherbys Super Sprint Stakes 5f 34y
High numbers often have an edge in big fields for this contest, with the winner coming from 16, 15, 21, 18 and 10 in the last five years. I’d also like to find a horse that can handle some cut given the forecast, so Anthelia makes plenty of appeal from stall 16, particularly as her only run on yielding ground saw her win the National Stakes at Sandown.
Her trainer Rod Millman has a remarkably good record with cheap buys in this contest, winning with Lord Kintyre and Bettys Hope and hitting the frame multiple times.
Millman looks to buy speedy juveniles with this race in mind and has uncovered another likely sort in the shape of Anthelia, who has the class to win at Listed level but receives weight from all but a handful of her rivals here.
Broughshane 2:05 Market Rasen – 1pt win 6/1 (Ladbrokes, Coral)
Cavern Club 2:40 Market Rasen - 1pt e/w 8/1 (Hills, 15/2 general - 4 places)
Sure Touch 3:12 Market Rasen - 1pt win 5/1 (Sky Bet, Paddy Power)
Horantzou d’Airy 3:12 Market Rasen - 1pt win 14/1 (general)
Bolster 1.50 Newbury – 1pt win 20/1 (Paddy Power - 18/1 general)
Fair Angelica 2.57 Newbury - 1pt e/w 16/1 (general - 4 places)
Anthelia 3.30 Newbury - 1pt win 11/2 (general)