Vintage Crop Stakes at Navan

As usual, mainly low quality sport on a Sunday, with jumps racing (with small fields) at Market Rasen and Stratford, as well as Limerick in Ireland, and flat racing at Ripon and Navan (Ireland). Easily the best race is the Vintage Crop Stakes over 1 3/ 4 miles at 17.05 CET at Navan, which sees several of Ireland´s top stayers in the line-up. Vintage Crop was of course the Irish horse that won the Melbourne Cup in 1983, the first foreign horse to do so, and thereby ushered in an era of international thoroughbred racing. He was trained by Dermot Weld, one of the greatest Irish trainers of all time -and still going strong. His stable is currently in sensational form with a strike rate this year of over 40% and clearly he would like to win this race again. He saddles the 5yo mare Pale Mimosa (Pat Smullen), and although in theory she faces a tough task, we give her our vote. She was last time seen in Ascot´s Long Distance Cup where she finished behind Royal Diamond (Johnny Murtagh/ Niall McCulllough) but in front of Saddlers Rock (John Oxx/ Wayne Lordan), two of the most consistent Irish stayers of recent seasons. However clear top-rated here, and obviously the one to beat, is Leading Light (Aidan and Joseph O´Brien), who is currently ante-post favourite for the Ascot Gold Cup. He was outclassed in the Arc behind Treve, but was unbeaten coming into that race, where his victories included the St. Leger at Doncaster. He has to give 8 lbs to the Weld mare and we are not sure that he will be up to it.

The best race at Ripon is the mile handicap at 17.10, which looks wide open. We shall take a chance on oldtimer Osteopathic Remedy (Michael Dods/ Conor Beasley), an absoiute CD specialist who has won the Ripon Rowels., a similar race run in August, no fewer than 4 times. Over jumps, we like Tagliette (Gordon Elliott/ Paul Carberry) in the novice hurdle at 16.15 at Limerick, while at Market Rasen, Shrewd (John Ferguson/ Dougie Costello), a decent handicapper on the flat for Michael Bell, can get off the mark over sticks at 15.00.

Betting forecast:
1. Race: Household Cavalry - Sailors Swan - Zaindera
2. Race: Pixie Spirit - Pierre D`or - Calling You
3. Race: Araner - Blackbriar - Fresh Focus
4. Race: Great Minds - Masai - Greek Canyon
5. Race: Leading Light - Royal Diamond - Pale Mimosa
6. Race: John Constable - Resiliency - Corona Borealis
7. Race: Sereza - Dance With Another - Odisseia
8. Race: Table Rock - Photo Call - Angel Of Joy