Thursday, September 18, 2008

Pontefract, Yarmouth and Great Leighs.

The final day of Yarmouth´s three-day meeting features a class 2 handicap over 1 3/4 miles at 17.10 CET, and two lightly-weighted 3yo´s could possibly have the race between them - Luca Cumani´s Kossack (Tom Queally), a brother to St.Leger winner Milan. and Marco Botti´s Fiulin (Ted Durcan). Best of the older horses should be Harry Tracker (Gary and Ryan Moore), who has however not run since falling in a Cheltenham hurdles race in April, and Jagger (Ger Butler/ Tolley Dean), an easy all-weather winner last time out. At Pontefract, the fillies handicap over 6 furlongs at 17.00 is the most interesting event. Misphire (Michael Dods/ Tom Eaves), a CD winner who ran well at Haydock on Tuesday, Persian Sea (Michael Jarvis/ Philip Robinson), dropping down in distance, and especially Mango Music (Mick Quinn/ Franny Norton), who has already won 3 times this year, look the three likeliest candidates. By far the most fascinating race at this evening´s all-weather meeting at Great Leighs is the mile maiden at 21.20 with 16 runners, which features a strong challenge from some expensive and well-bred Maktoum family runners. Godolphin are doubly represented, with Plavius, a $ 9.2. million yearling who has so far compleely failed to live up to expectations, the mount of Frankie Dettori, and debutant Alqaafay, a snip at 600,000 euros, partnered by Ted Durcan. Haman al Maktoum also has two runners, Mutawahej (John Gosden/ Martin Dwyer), who cost over $3 million, and Qeyaada (Ed Dunlop/ Tom McLaughlin), while Gosden also saddles Princess Haya´s Red Jade (Jimmy Fortune). The race is worth about 5,000 euros to the winner, a drop in the ocean compared to the values put on these runners a year or so ago.