Today´s U.K. and Irish racing

Very modest sport today at the 5 meetings in the U.K. and Ireland, and they all pale into insignificance in comparison with the excellent card at Deauville (see next article). Musselburgh´s best race is a rather feeble 5 furlongs handicap at 17.20 CET, with question marks over most of the runners. Rasaman (Jim Goldie/ Gary Bartley) was a CD winner recently, but has run badly since and may not confirm the placings with Jargelle (David and Adrian Nicholls). Linda Perratt saddles two runners, of whom bottom weight The Bear (Peter Mcdonald) is probably the pick, while The Nifty Fox (Tim Easterby/ David Allan) also meets Rasaman on better terms and has a chance. Jargelle (each-way) is our suggestion.

At Folkestone, the main event is also a class 3 handicap, for fillies over 10 furlongs at 17.40. This is a much stronger race, with most of the 7 runners in good form, including the two Godolphin entries Nafura (Saeed bin Suroor/ Ted Durcan) and Anacopa (Mahmoud al Zarooni/ Antioco Murgia). Ishraaqat (Marcus Tregoning/ Tagdh O´Shea) looks dangerous off bottom weight, while Ralph Beckett has two runners, of which Fastback (Jim Crowley) was a very easy winner last time. Sparkling Smile (David Lanigan) has won all her 4 starts this season, but faces better opposition this time. Many possibilities here, but we go for top-weight Nafura.

There is Irish flat racing at Cork, with some huge fields. The most interesting race could be the 5 furlongs handicap at 16.35. Sampers (Mike Halford/ Gary Carroll) beat Good to Follow (Eddie Lynam/ Pat Smullen) over this trip at Dundalk, but the latter may reverse the placings this time (especially remembering Lynam´s York coup!)
There is also N.H. racing at Newton Abbot and in Ireland at Ballinrobe. At the latter track Ruby Walsh has 3 rides for Tony Martin, Dream Champion in the handicap hurdle at 16.15, Keelaghan in the chase at 17.45 and Corrick Bridge in a chase at 18.15. All could go well, with Keelaghan the pick in our view.

Main event at Newton Abbot is a valuable handicap hurdle over 2 3/4 miles at 16.30. With 18 runners this looks wide open. There´s no Panic (Paul Nicholls/ Ryan Mahon), Battle Group (David Pipe/ Tom Scudamore), Tarvini (Jonjo Ò´Neill/ Richard McLernon) and Tout Regulier (Peter Bowen/ Tom O´Brien) all multiple winners this summer and any of them could win. Pipe has 4 runners here, and now that the rain has come, we will take a chance on ex-German Acambo, who has been below form on his recent starts but is now very attractively handicapped and has a good claimer on board.