Moore’s bookings worth a look

The Flat is gradually ebbing away and a visit to Cheltenham today acted as a reminder of how popular quality NH racing has become. Watching Derek O’Connor on Donald McCain’s facile winner What Happens Now, it was easy to understand why he is in such demand on either side of the Irish Sea. It’s worth checking his mounts on a daily basis.

McCain lost the horses owned by Mr and Mrs Rooney, of course, and it’s taken him a while to fight back but it’s happening now. I was interested in a modest inmate of his called Tawseef this weekend but I thought he’d go in the weak two-miler at Newbury on Friday with Connor Murtagh up. Everything changed, though, and he waits for the mile and a half handicap for lady amateurs at the same track on Saturday. Tawseef has been known to turn out in a 3m 3f hurdle at Sedgefield, so I think the two-mile affair might have suited him better. He won over the distance at Musselburgh and Donald’s daughter Ella keeps the ride over the much shorter trip. He is in good heart but small win and place is the way to go.

There isn’t much else for me on that card but Mark Johnston’s two-year-olds have been in great form and I thought DREAM TODAY ran a cracker when second at Newmarket recently. At least we know how the old Horris Hill will be run: P J McDonald will have him smartly away and try to make all. I think he can do it.

Aidan O’Brien has won so many Group 1 races and so many Racing Post Trophies that one hesitates to oppose him. However, John Gosden’s ROARING LION impressed many onlookers last time when accounting for Ballydoyle’s Nelson and he will be hard to beat.
Ryan Moore has chances in several races and looking at his bookings away from the Ballydoyle powerhouse and Sir Michael Stoute’s classy team is a sensible approach. He teamed up with David Elsworth to land the big mile handicap at Goodwood on Master Of The World and I hope he can repeat the dose on the trainer’s consistent SIR DANCELOT in the conditions event over seven furlongs, though the horse has been busy enough of late.

Gay Kelleway was one of the first to give David Egan regular rides and he is champion apprentice now. They get together in the last with PASTIME, who has each-way claims in an even trickier seven-furlong affair than the previous one.