Andrew Mount has two selections from Sandown and one from Doncaster to make up a trio of best bets for Friday.
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Posted: 4.58pm, Thursday, July 3rd
1.50 Sandown – RISING FORCE (1pt e/w with the firms paying three places, including 10/1 bet365)
My tracker suggests that I should oppose RISING FORCE in this seven-runner amateur riders’ handicap as he needs a strong pace to chase and has lost all 13 career starts in single-figure line-ups. However, they often go off hard in these contests and FASTER BEE, DARVEL (worth a saver after an eye-catcher against the bias at Newbury last time) and especially the first-time blinkered WARNING SIGN could all put pace to the race. Henry Callan has only ridden Robert Eddery’s four-year-old on three previous occasions, finishing a 17-2 short-head second of seven, a 14-1 short-head second of 12 and a 25-1 third of 21.
2.15 Doncaster – BRAVE NATION (2pt win – 2/1 bet365)
BRAVE NATION took his record at Doncaster to 121184 (3-6) when going down by a length and a quarter in fourth of 14 over course and distance last time and will be happier in this six runner-line-up. On several occasions I’ve used this column to discuss the fine record of Sioux Nation progeny in small fields, with ten runners being the cut-off point. Backing all the qualifiers in fields of ten or less would have found 150 winners from 832 bets (18% strike-rate) for a profit of £24.61 to a £1 level stake at SP (+£184.66 at Betfair SP after 2% commission) and Brave Nation is three form three at Doncaster in small fields (+£8.66).
4.10 Sandown – JEFF KOONS (1pt win – 12/1 888sport, 11/1 bet365, William Hill)
Since 2010, three-year-olds have a 0-13 record in the Listed Gala Stakes and I’m happy to oppose sole classic generation representative WINDLORD, the 9-4 favourite at the time of writing. Andrew Balding’s colt will appreciate the drop in grade after being on pace-making duty for the same owners’ Field Of Gold in the St James’s Palace Stakes and Irish 2,000 Guineas the last twice but this right-handed track is a concern, as he’s been beaten here on three occasions and he often hangs to his left in his races. His sole outing on a left-handed track resulted in a wide-margin York win and I think he needs a change of direction. Take him on with JEFF KOONS who has performed with credit in two starts since returning from Qatar, racing too close to the strong early pace when a 66-1 sixth in a 1m2f Listed contest at Goodwood before a fine 100-1 eighth of 30 in the Royal Hunt Cup at Ascot.
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Andrew Mount’s Best Bets
1.50 Sandown – RISING FORCE (1pt e/w with the firms paying three places, including 10/1 bet365)
2.15 Doncaster – BRAVE NATION (2pt win – 2/1 bet365)
4.10 Sandown – JEFF KOONS (1pt win – 12/1 888sport, 11/1 bet365, William Hill)
Andrew Mount’s Horse Racing Tips – Friday, 4th July
Andrew’s Angles – Going Back to Nursery School With Tips For Two-Year-Old Handicaps
The first nursery – handicaps for two-year-olds – takes place at Haydock this Thursday (July 3rd) and I want to use this week’s article to discuss these notoriously tricky races and give some pointers as to how we can profit from them. This could end up being a short article as one profitable putting method…
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