Jockey Kieran Shoemark and trainer Charlie Fellowes are two talented men who deserve a change of fortune. Shoemark lost his job as first jockey to John and Thady Gosden after being blamed for Field of Gold’s narrow defeat in the Betfred 2000 Guineas at Newmarket four weeks ago.
Shoemark then rode Fellowes’ filly Shes Perfect to victory in the French 1000 Guineas at Longchamp, only for the three-year-old filly to be demoted from first to second for interference. To add insult to injury, the decision was appealed and despite evidence from both men that they had been hard done by, they failed to get the result overturned.
On Sunday, Fellowes and Shoemark will return to France, this time to Chantilly, for the Qatar Prix du Jockey Club, or French Derby (3.05 p.m.), when they hope LUTHER will land the French Classic over a distance of 1 mile 2 furlongs. The horse was fourth in the French 2000 Guineas earlier this month. Fellowes told the Racing Post earlier this week:
For me he [Luther] ran almost the best Derby trial out of any of them in the French Guineas. We sat closer to a very strong pace than the other three who reoppose and we had the widest draw. He did everything the hard way and he ran an absolute screamer.
The step up in trip has to be a positive on pedigree and he got a little bit outpaced coming into the straight at Longchamp and then stayed on really nicely all the way to the line – having used up a lot of petrol early doors to hold his position, with the speed they were going. The other three sat a long way off a very fast pace.
The soft ground at Chantilly would be a slight concern to me as would the fact Luther is running in two big races in France in just three weeks. However, the suggestion, even though he may go off a bigger price on the day with more places, is 1 point each way Luther at 12-1 with bet365, William Hill or Unibet, all paying three places.
What do you do with a horse like CHILLINGHAM? Trainer Edward Bethell’s horse has plenty of talent as he showed when fourth at Royal Ascot in a hot handicap, the Copper Horse, nearly two years.
Then a four-year-old gelding, he pulled too hard that day and yet managed to run an really encouraging race off a mark of 95 on ground than was quicker than ideal. At that point in his career, Bethell saw his charge as worthy of lining in the prestigious SkyBet Ebor at York.
The trouble is that Chillingham has run more poor races than good ones since his Royal Ascot fourth and he was disappointing on his seasonal debut this term when only tenth of fourteen runners at Musselburgh.
Tomorrow Chillingham, now six years old, lines up in the Betfred Play Fred’s £5 Million Handicap (Haydock, 1.13 p.m.) race. He sports a first-time visor and, in the hope it does the trick, I am tipping him as a value bet off a rating of just 92. The horse has stable jockey Callum Rodriguez in the saddle and there should still be some cut in the ground by the off too.
At the time of writing only one bookmaker, William Hill, had priced up the race so the suggestion is 1 point each way at 14-1, four places with that firm. Once again, there may well be bigger prices and more places available by race day tomorrow. Chillingham is certainly not one for the mortgage but he is more than capable of winning a race like this off his current mark.
I also want to have another ante-post bet for Royal Ascot at a huge price. The form of last year’s Britannia Stakes at Royal Ascot, for three year old horses over a mile, could not be working out much better. The third horse that day, behind Mickley and Skukuza, was trainer Karl Burke’s NATIVE WARRIOR. He was actually the first runner home on the near side after the field split.
Native Warrior’s form has been mixed since then but he had an encouraging prep run for Royal Ascot on Monday, when second in a five-runner Windsor handicap. This horse is much better suited to a fast-run, big-field handicap and the perfect race for him is therefore the Royal Hunt Cup on June 18.
The one worry is that, with a rating of just 92, he may not make the cut for the race because last year the lowest rated horse to get a run was off 93. In the hope, that he does get a run, he’s worth backing 1 point each way at 50-1 with William Hill, paying four places. Make no mistake, this horse, owned by Wathnan Racing, is still well handicapped and connections love nothing better than a Royal Ascot winner.
However, make sure your bet is only struck with a bookie, such as William Hill, that refunds your stake if the horse is declared at the 48-hour declaration stage but does not make the final line-up because the race is oversubscribed. The horse’s trainer has indicated this race is Native Warrior’s target and, if he does line up next month, there is no way he will go off at 50-1 on the day.
Incidentally, as I suspected last week, one-time favourite Kyprios will not line up for the Ascot Gold Cup next month having been retired because of injury. Meanwhile, the horse I put up for the race, Trawlerman, won at Sandown yesterday and is now a top-priced 5-1 for his big Royal Ascot target. Here’s hoping…
Last weekend: – 4 points
2 points win American Affair at 5-1 for the Temple Stakes. Unplaced. – 2 points.
2 points win Ghostwriter at SP for the Tattersalls Gold Cup. Unplaced. – 2 points.
Pending:
1 point each way Chillingham at 14-1 for the Betfred Play Fred’s £5 Million Handicap, paying ¼ odds, 4 places.
1 point each way Luther at 12-1 for the French Derby, paying 1/5th odds, 3 places.
1 point each way Native Warrior at 50-1 for the Royal Hunt Cup, paying ¼ odds, 4 places.
1 point each way Trawlerman at 8-1 for the Ascot Gold Cup, paying 1/5 odds, 3 places.
1 point each way Duke of Oxford at 33-1 for the Northumberland Plate, paying 1/4 odds, 4 places
2025 flat season running total – 11.8 points.
2024-5 jump season: – 47.61 points.
2024 flat season: + 41.4 points on all tips.
2023-4 jump season: + 42.01 points on all tips.
2023 flat season: – 48.22 points on all tips.
2022-3 jump season: + 54.3 points on all tips.
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