Two Options in the Great St Wilfred

We are away in Canada at present but I monitor the racing on a daily basis and things have gone well enough on the line, with Roger Charlton’s Paling a very safe favourite at Leicester on Sunday. I don’t know why Tigerwolf found things so hard in a race that looked at his mercy at Salisbury later in the week but at least he scrambled in  –  not that anyone was about play at 2/9.

I am very disappointed that a couple of horses were not declared for Newbury today, something that has had a marked effect on the Wednesday blog. I couldn’t know that would happen, of course, and to me it looked as if Bear Valley and Nemoralia had excellent chances. Indeed, the Hungerford has cut up enough to suggest that Nemoralia would have had an outstanding chance, but there we are.

So, I am left with a shorter overnight message. In the Great St Wilfrid at Ripon, both Nuno Tristan and Intisaab have made the main race and I favour INTISAAB, who did very well to finish second from a poor draw at York last time. It is a great compliment to Shelley Birkett that she retains the ride and this horse has improved for David O’Meara. NUNO TRISTAN would have won the consolation race at Goodwood with a little further to travel and I feel he is a natural seven-furlong horse trying to get there in time over six. He is an improving sort, however, and I shall save on him. Both horses can be backed each-way.

We found George Bowen in the race for grey horses at Newmarket twelve months ago. He has lost his way a bit and carries top weight in the consolation at Ripon. Richard Fahey is mustard in these races and may have coaxed him back to his best but I think GRANDAD’S WORLD may be the yard’s best chance. His solid second at Nottingham is fair form and he was not beaten all that far in the Goodwood Stewards’ Cup consolation.

The ‘grey horse’ race looks a modest affair this time around and Fahey probably has a fairish chance with Pushkin Museum.

I don’t know why Mick Channon’s Shore Step has lost his way and five furlongs looks plenty sharp enough for him but he goes over that distance at Doncaster and the feeling persists that he will turn up at 16/1 one of these days. When Mick’s sprint handicappers go in they tend to be a price and I’d play for minimum stakes and keep on chipping away.