WHICH IS TOP COUNTRY TRACK? Daqman reveals facts and figures on the top country track in England and Wales, and reckons Hereford, announcing its reopening today, should take note.
WHO TRAVELS FOR ONE RIDE? Daqman naps a jockey travelling North for one ride on a J P McManus runner. That sounds like a ‘get on early’ warning, as it seems sure to be backed on the course.
SATURDAY SET FAIR: There are no weather problems currently reported ahead of Saturday’s cards which include Ascot and the reappearance of Un De Sceaux in the Sodexo Clarence House Chase. He has four rivals.
RASEN RISE AND RISE A HEREFORD TEMPLATE
Here are your starters for 10. Which country racecourse showed the biggest increase in aggregate attendances for jumps tracks in 2015?
Which one showed the fourth largest increase in average attendances at ALL courses, Flat or jumps, ranking alongside the giants, Cheltenham and Newmarket?
Which one in Category C of England’s 40 jumps tracks offers more prizemoney than all bar one in Category B and more money than one of the star tracks in category A, which is headed by Cheltenham and Aintree?
Yet this course has fielded more fixtures (really) than ANY racecourse under all Rules in categories A, B or C at 20 a year (up to 22 this year)?
The answers to these questions: Market Rasen, Market Rasen, Market Rasen and Market Rasen. In that order 😉
This was my hot-peas-and-mint-sauce, local north-east Midlands track when I was a lad. It had small fields of horses, mainly from Lincs., Yorks and Notts., farmer-trainers, and some local businessmen as owners, who managed the occasional day of glory, one of them winning a gold cup.
Now, particularly with its Summer Plate races and Lincolnshire Grand National, Market Rasen is wowing the crowds in ever-improving facilities for fixtures which also get the youngsters in, like the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Family Fun Day (coming up on March 28).
Market Rasen always seems to have had a go-ahead clerk of course, a great atmosphere and the huge benefit of a track lay-out that allows its patrons in all enclosures to see all the action all the way round, without so much as a pair of bins.
First priority for the executive as Hereford racecourse today announces the reopening of their track (October 6) must be Mission Market Rasen, fact-finding just how this track has been so successful.
Hereford, local course for champion-jockey-elect Richard Johnson, will have transferred fixtures (from Southwell and Worcester) for its October relaunch but then goes on to the 2017 agenda.
GERAGHTY TRAVELS SOLELY FOR TRAVERTINE
1.15 Market Rasen One of Rasen’s local trainers, Steve Gollings, of Scamblesby, near Louth, hasn’t had much material since Conquisto and Local Hero, but has won this opener before (Bar de Ligne 2012) and saddles Snow Prince today.
Michael Chapman, who trains near the course, has Duc De Seville, placed several times on the Flat and runner-up in a small-field hurdle.
Alan King saddles ex-French Travertine for J P McManus, in receipt of 7lb from Abbreviate, already a winner not far down the road at Southwell.
There’s a strong hint here from Barry Geraghty, who is at the Lincolnshire venue for just the one ride on Travertine (3.05 best BETDAQ offers, as I write), Group-3 placed on the Flat in France, so potentially several grades above the level of this field.
2.20 Market Rasen (Graduation Chase) This class 2 had three of its five starters vying for BETDAQ market leader this morning, within a parameter of 0.45 points!
Venetia Williams, who will be delighted to hear the news of the reopening of her local track at Hereford, has stepped Aso up in trip.
Though a winning hurdler at up to 19f – three out of four at one stage – Aso (I took 3.4) has been confined to 2m over fences so far, and today’s move looks a winning one.
Charlie Longsdon (Kalane) has a 26% strike-rate at Market Rasen but the stable is on the cold list, firing blanks for 35 days with all 31 starters.
Ballyalton, second to Faugheen in the Neptune at the Cheltenham Festival of 2014, could bounce back but his five wins under Rules were way back in 2012-13 and all on goodish ground.
3.30 Market Rasen Charlie Longsdon farms this (form figures 101), but, with the yard not firing, his Midnight Shot was very easy to back at 18.0 on BETDAQ, early mouse.
Cotillion, dropped 10lb below his 2012 mark for his return to the track, has stayed put at that rating, because his recent success has come in sellers.
The form horse is Crosspark, with the pair in front of him at Cheltenham subsequently winning a handicap and running second in the Lanzarote. However, Crosspark drops back half a mile on an easy, turning track.
He’ll need plenty of pace on and that could be provided by Captain Kelly, who will be in need of a good blow, returning after more than two years off.
His wins have all come on a sound surface and stablemate Great Link (10.0 on BETDAQ) may finish best, lower than his last winning mark and 6lb beneath his chase rating.
PROCESS OF ELIMINATION REALIZED…
3.05 Lingfield (Ladbrokes Handicap) Baddilini, Mr Bossy Boots, Grey Mirage, Primrose Valley, Realize and Shyron have all won twice at Lingfield.
Arnold Lane, Baddilini, Bertiewhittle, Grey Mirage, Primrose Valley, Realize, Russian Realm, Shyron and Trojan Rocket have all won at this level, class 2, making it a hard race for punters.
But only the stables of Horsted Keynes, Realize, Lunar Deity, Al Khan and Shyron are in hot form.
Realize (two from two on the course) and Shyron (last year’s winner from a yard just now firing) are common to all three lists, and I took 6.0 and 7.0 respectively. Both well drawn, side by side in stalls 3 and 4.
DAQMAN’S BETS (each one staked to win 20 points)
BET 10pts win (nap) TRAVERTINE (1.15 Market Rasen)
BET 8pts win ASO (2.20 Market Rasen)
BET 4pts win REALIZE and 3.3pts win SHYRON (3.05 Lingfield)
BET 5.5pts win CROSSPARK, and 2pts win and place GREAT LINK (3.30 Market Rasen)
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