Bryan's Horses racing blog round up (end of January/begining of February)

This racing blog round up we are seeing the building success of the jockeys mentioned in the last blog especially Ben Curtis. There's also discussion of Hollie Doyle's unstoppable form, breeding and Jumps controversy.

Laurens has been covered by Invincible spirit, this sees the hopes of a thoroughly well bred foal with some unarguable form from both sire and dam. Racing can be hopeful that we do see this horse on the track. However Laurens was also strangely dropped a pound by the handicappers earlier this week which most likely was by mistake. Perhaps it's trying to tempt her back into racing. 

Hollie Doyle is on fire with all these trebles she's having its making it difficult to back against her in any race. She's building on the success of last season riding the most winners in a season for a female jockey. It looks like she will be again trying to extend the record that she beat of over 107 winners in a season. Clearly one to keep an eye on. Similarly Ben Curtis is still under unstoppable form even extending his wins to further afield, being victorious at Meydan Races. 

Tiger Roll has its third entry in the Grand National. This is exciting news for Grand National day if he does go on to run. Winning this would make him even more of a racing legend and he would have firmly cemented his place in racing history. I personally think that he can take on the challenge and he has already put himself up there with Red Rum, so there is nothing to loose. 

There is also the hope from Paddy Brennan that gum shields should be made compulsory for jumps racing. He believes it is vital for the safety of the jockeys. Even saying 'it can save lives', he believes it should be repeatedly talked about until its mandatory. Brennan will continue to reach out to the BHA. 

Southwell Races

2020s  first blog from Southwell races. The meeting was not over busy with small fields making
it difficult to pick winners. This meeting also continued to see Ben Curtis' successful streak with him having a double. My one horse to watch for the rest of the season is the new comer Iron Heart,
the horse didn't like the kickback from the fibre sand but despite this still managed to finish third. Another impressive performance was Silverturnstogold who had its four-timer under Elisha Whittington and Tony Carroll. However Whittington got suspended for excessive use of the whip, what do you think about this? Should they be disqualified from the race?

The 2:20 had Angel Lane leading with Argus and Rasaasy close up. Blowing Dixie and Cosmelli were both held up in the rear. At five furlongs out Cosmelli made headway getting involved in the race. Four furlongs out had Argus and Rasaasy being pushed along, the latter was quickly outpaced. Blowing Dixie made nice headway at three furlongs out whilst the leader Angel Lane needed to be pushed along. The challenge between the two was clear at two furlongs out. Cosmelli and the rest of the field were slowly dropping away. At one furlong out Blowing Dixie was the undisputed leader and was smoothly ridden clear. Angel Lane became one paced. First was Blowing Dixie by 4 3/4 lengths, second was Angel Lane by 3 1/2 lengths and third was Cosmelli by 3 1/4 lengths. This showed how stretched out the field was.

The penultimate race had Jungle Secret with a slight lead to Requited, Our Charlie Brown, The Right Choice and Al Suil Eile. Global Melody was held up. There was not much room between the whole field. Global Melody on the home straight make headway. At three furlong out Requited, Jungle Secret and Global Hope were ridden along. With two furlongs to go Al Suil Eile and Our Charlie Brown made ground up. The Right Choice was ridden to challenge. Into the final furlong it was a three way battle between Al Suil Eile, Global Melody and The Right Choice all close together. All heading each other at some point. Global Melody however was on the stands side rail but in the final stages did not have enough pace to keep up with Al Suil Eile. First was Al Suil Eile by 3/4 length, second was The Right Choice by 1/2 length and third was Global Melody by 3 lengths.

New for 2020!

There's going to be a new aspect to Bryan's Horseracing Blog's especially for 2020! I will be discussing jockeys I think are doing particularly well, horses for note and anything controversial that has a risen that will have a big impact on the industry.

So the biggest talking point for me right now is the fact that Donnacha O'Brien has his first entries as a trainer for Friday at Dundalk. The two horses are Mythological and Flower Garland, both are owned by his mother and were previously trained by his father. He should know how to get the best out of both of them as he has ridden both before. Hopefully Donnacha's success as a jockey can be transferred to training.

There are numerous hot jockeys as the moment the most undisputable is Ben Curtis. Curtis since the new year has had 11 winners and it is less likely he has been unplaced. He is building on his success from last season much like Luke Morris and Adam Kirby. Luke Morris well know for being an all weather specialist has had 6 wins since the new year, continuing building momentum. His four timer on 2nd January highlights his success. Adam Kirby also has a 13% strike rate. They are showing already that the all-weather championships will be close.

Additionally conditional jump jockey Jack Tudor has caught the eye with his recent successes. The most notable being the welsh grand national. Clearly one to watch in the future as he is only 17.

Hopefully the next blog will be from Sunday's racing at Southwell.

Southwell races

The bad weather did little to dampen the spirits of the punters however it did result in racing being cancelled after the fourth race. But the majority of the racing was not anything particularly special.

The 2:45 had Azor Ahai with a slight lead to the chasing Artois and Azzeccagarbugli. There were many tracking horses including Directory, Tukhoom, Glory Of Paris and Angel Palanas. Samphire Coast and Makambe were towards the rear. Four furlongs out and Azor Ahai  lost the lead to Angel Palanas. Three furlongs out is where the positions in the field were under the most change. Headway was made by Makambe, Directory, Tukhoom and Glory Of Paris. Samphire Coast and Angel Palanas were pushed along. At two furlong out Directory was ridden to lead from Angel Palanas despite the effort made by Tukhoom. Makambe and Samphire Coast needed to be ridden along. In the final furlong Directory was driven out as was Tukhoom. Makambe and Samphire Coast merely kept on whilst the rest of the field weakened. Yet Directory was keeping on well not being caught by Tukhoom who didn't make any impression towards the finish. First was Directory by 1 1/4 lengths, second was Tukhoom by 1 1/2 lengths and third was Makambe by a short head.

In 3:20 there was no surprises with the outcome. Hareem Queen had a little lead, to the close up Moonraker, Foolaad and Samovar. There was a split between centre and stands' side rail. Moon Trouble chased the leaders but Tawny Port was held up. Two furlongs out had a change of pace, many being ridden along including Moon Trouble, Moonraker, Fooland and Samovar. Although headway was made by Tawny Port, Hareem Queen kept the lead. At one furlong out Tawny Port and Hareem Queen were ridden along. Samovar, Moonraker and Fooland were driven out. Moon Trouble quickly weakened. Entering the final furlong Hareem Queen was headed by Tawny Port. He went to win with ease by 1/2 length. Moonraker and Samovar were only keeping on at the same pace. The winner was Tawny Port, second was Hareem Queen by 1 1/2 lengths and third Samovar by 1/2 length.

This is my final blog for the year, hopefully next year will be filled with even more racing!

Carlisle races

The early change in ground had the ground riding a bit dead. There was some interesting outcomes of the day including the 25/1 winner in the first race. The horse to watch from the card was Avenue of Stars, who once had room had a lot of pace. It was clearly a day that if a horse was not prominent they would not win.

The fifth race had Strawman making all, chased by Bentley Wood, Lady Latte and Stag Horn. However Roman's Empress, Copperlight, Three Dragons and Notation were held up. At two furlongs out the whole field drifted towards the centre especially Strawman. Some of the field were pushed along including Stag Horn, Tree Dragons and Lady Latte while Notation made headway. One furlong out Bentley Wood was making effort to be competitive but the lead had not been disrupted from Strawman. Merely keeping on was Stag Horn, Notation and Black Star Dancing. In the final furlong there was no catching Strawman with Bentley Wood being one paced and Stag Horn couldn't reach the front. First Strawman by 1 1/2 length, second Bentley Wood by 6 lengths, third Stag Horn by a short head.

In the 4:30 Harvey Dent led followed by Alotabottle, Redarna, Nubough and Fuente. But Mikmak and Global Gift were held up, Rousayan was slowly into stride. Nubough, Redarna, Feunte and Global Gift were being ridden at two furlongs out. With one furlong to go Alotabottle took the lead heading Harvey Dent at the same time Global Gift attempted to chase. There was by this point a large gap between these three and the rest of the field. Yet in the final furlong Alotabottle drew clear whilst Global Gift made no impression. The winner was Alotabottle by 2 3/4 lengths, second Harvey Dent by 2 1/4 lengths and third Global Gift by 1/2 length.

I'm  not sure when my next blog will be due to moving this will effect my racing. Follow my twitter feed to keep up dated!

York Races

York races family fun day had something for people of all ages. With various activities from paw patrol to face paint and games and so much more. The pony races saw the stars of the future take to the stage. The races provided a competitive hard to call card. Platform Nineteen continues its winning streak having its four timer.

The first race had four horses in a row with a slight lead to Clan Royale, tracked by Alben Spirit, No Mercy, Ishvara and Lady Nectar. Unifier dwelt towards the rear and Leapers Wood had a tricky start before chasing the leaders. Halfway along the race headway was made by Unifier but  Willing To Please began to chase the leaders. With two furlongs to go Alben Spirit moved up the field with Sam's Call, Ishvara and Leapers Wood being ridden out. One furlong out Clan Royale was leading comfortably with Unifier beginning to challenge. Alben Spirit was close too. Unfortunately No Mercy's jockey Ben Curtis lost his whip effecting his running going into the final furlong. The rest of the field in the closing stages merely kept on whilst despite drifting Clan Royale held on well. Unifier just couldn't catch the leader. First was Clan Royale by a neck to second Unifier by 2 lengths. Third was Alben Spirit. The second was well worth an each way bet coming in at 66/1!

In the 2:55 Dakota Gold made the running, tracked by Danzeno, Yolo Again, Marnie James and Perfection. Rock On Baileys was towards the rear and Princes Des Sables raced wide on the stands rail. Marnie James and Rock On Baileys moved towards the front at two furlongs out as Perfection made an effort. But some of the field weakened. At one furlong out Dakota Gold was driven along but it was clear from here he would not be caught. Danzeno did try to challenge as did Marnie James. But eventually Perfection, Marnie James and Danzeo kept on at the same pace. The winner was Dakota Gold by 1 3/4 lengths to Danzeno by 1 3/4 lengths and third Marnie James by 3/4 lengths.

Southwell races

The glorious weather had the Nottinghamshire Sports Day theme very busy and the racecourse was full of people of all ages. There was fun for all the family. The eye catcher of the race meeting was Blowing Dixie. He made the 1m 4f look easy even in the heat. The two pony races before the first race, one of the jockeys Edward Vaughan is clearly destined to become an apprentice jockey and then go further.

The 3:00 had the horses very close together throughout. It was hard to see much separating Maystar, Augustus Caesar, Royal Context and Strong Power. Close up was One Bite and Order Of Merritt. There was the slightest lead to Maystar. Royal Context and Abbaleka made headway at two furlongs out while One Bite was ridden along. At one furlong to go  Augustus Caesar, Royal Context and Maystar were pushed along.  In the final furlong Maystar was narrowly headed by Augustus Caesar but Strong Power and Royal Context kept on at the same pace. However Maystar rallied again to take the lead in the closing stages. Augustus Caesar had no more to give. First Maystar by 3/4 lengths, second Augustus Caesar by a neck and third Strong Power by 1 1/2 lengths.

The fourth race had Warrior's Valley leading, tracked by Dark Shot,  Zylan, Samovar, Airglow and Ebitda. Fantasy Keeper and Crosse Fire were not far off the pace. Over two furlongs Warrior's Valley and Airglow needed to be ridden along but the dwelling Lomu made headway. At one furlong out Crosse Fire was ridden to lead with Fantasy Keeper challenging. Dark Shot was ridden at this point as was Warrior's Valley. Within the final furlong Lomu and Airglow had no more to give like most of the field. Warrior's Valley weakened, Dark Shot  and Fantasy Keeper were single paced. Unlike Crosse Fire who kept on strongly. The winner was Crosse Fire by 1 1/2 lengths, giving Scott Dixon a double on the day. Second was Fantasy Keeper by 1 3/4 lengths, third was Dark Shot by 1/2 length.