Saturday's racing comes from Aintree, Chepstow, Navan, Sandown, Wetherby & Wolverhampton.
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https://www.geegeez.co.uk/exotic-betting-multi-race-bets-part-1/
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Today's pools
Today's meetings, pools and minimum guarantees are as follows, including a £100,000 placepot guarantee at Sandown as well as a £75k pot at Aintree...
However, I'm writing this on Friday evening, because I'm out of the house for the day by 7am on Saturday. And as all the UK NH tracks are holding inspections after I'll have gone, I'm taking a safety first approach with a look at the first six races on Wolverhampton's tapeta track instead, starting with...
Leg 1 @ 4.30...(1) Echo Of Glory is a half-brother to Hodd's Girl who won seven times between 5f and 7f and although he has failed to make the frame in his two starts to date, the penny did seem to be dropping last time out. (2) The Voominator is probably wanting to go further in time, being a half-brother to Baba Boom, won three times at 1m 3f and 1m 4f, but he has shown some signs of ability in two defeats and should come on for having had a recent run. Well-held sixth in both his runs and needs to find plenty of progress
(4) Sundiata Keita looks the one to beat here after going down by just two necks when third at Newcastle a fortnight ago, which was much better than his debut and further progression will be enough here. (5) Sun Keeper ran well in snatches over this course and distance on debut almost three weeks ago and should improve for having had the experience. Yard & rider work well together here at this track and are in good recent form.
Of this quartet, I think I'll omit Echo Of Glory and Sundiata Keita would be my one to beat.
Leg 2 @ 5.00...I've already narrowed this down to the three that finished as runners-up on debut and I'd take them in this order if asked...
(4) Soldiers Star was a bit slow to get going at Newcastle but made enough headway to lead with 2f to run, but was unfortunately headed late on, going down by just a short head. (9) Sunlit Uplands was also beaten by a shorthead, narrowly failing to reel the winner in, after he too started slowly. There's not much between these two, but Soldiers Star has Tapeta experience.
Third in line for me is (5) Trouble Man who unlike the other two was quickly away at Southwell on debut but when pressed late on, couldn't repel Kildonan who went on to beat him by a neck.
All three are entitled to come on for those runs and in fairness, any of them could win/place here, so I'll take all three!
Leg 3 @ 5.30...(1) Edge Ofthe Unknown is a half-brother to Alpamayo who was a winner over 1m 4f and he's by Quality Road out of Nefertiti. he ran really well on debut at Newcastle over a mile on debut a month ago, finishing strongly to beat the fav by half a length going away and more is expected from him. (6) Jiff's Army has only raced over 7f so far, but has made the frame in three of four starts and was third here last time out on his A/W debut, so he should improve for that run, whilst breeding suggests the step up in trip should help.
(7) Kentucky River was only 5th of 7, beaten by four lengths on debut at Chelmsford a month ago, but he ran better than that sounds. I don't think he got the best of rides and ended up cramped for room on more than one occasion and had to switch out late on. A clearer passage here gets him in the mix, whilst (8) Perfect Life was much better than his SP of 12/1 when finishing third of twelve on debut at Southwell in late October racing against more experienced runners. Bulletin finished second that day and he has since stepped up in class to finish third here over 1m½f.
I've got Edge Ofthe Unknown to beat Jiff's Army here and I think I prefer Perfect Life to Kentucky River for third.
Leg 4 @ 6.00...(1) Three Dons has made the frame in all but one of his last eleven starts, winning seven times, but all his best form comes on turf and hasn't raced on the A/W since April. He has yet to win on the A/W after 24 attempts and would need to transfer some of his recent form over. to succeed here. (5) Skye Breeze on the other hand, has won four of nine on the tapeta and made the frame in two of the five defeats. The only potential fly in his ointment is the fact that he hasn't raced for almost seven months.
(8) No Surrender has been in action of late, though and although he has yet to win on the A/W, has made the frame in four of his eight attempts, including most recently at Lingfield when second of nine, beaten by just a head. Elladonna was third that day and she has since stepped up two classes to finish as a runner-up beaten by just a neck on Wednesday.
(11) Something likes to lead and had two made all victories over this trip at Newcastle inside three days in October and his last five A/W results now read 21162 having been a runner-up here over course and distance on his last run at 14/1, beaten only by the 9/4 fav. Another who likes this track/trip is (12) Optician who has 4 wins and 4 places from 11 on the A/W. he has 4 wins and 2 places here from 8 at Wolverhampton including 4 wins and a place from 7 over course and distance and arrives here off the back of a runner-up finish over 1m6f on this track.
An interesting-looking contest, but I can't take all of them, so I'd omit Three Dons on A/W form alone and I'll take Optician over Sky Breeze as the backup to Something and No Surrender, as Skye Breeze might need the run.
Leg 5 @ 6.30...I suspect that the top half of the card is where the money wil go for this one, starting with top-weight (1) Asgard's Captain. he's not in the kind of form that saw him finish 131152111 from June 2023 to late March of this year, but raced here after 20 weeks rest recently and showed some promise in 1.5 length defeat over this course and distance. he has been eased a pound by the assessor and should come on for having had a run. (2) Lerwick made a good impression on his A/W debut, when second of twelve over a mile at Southwell last time out going down by just half a length. he has won over 1m and 1m½f on turf and should go well again here.
(3) Arcadian Nights has made the frame in 10 of 25 on the A/W, winning seven times, including three over this course and distance. He had been out of sorts since the last of his C&D wins back in February, possibly as a result of running of marks in the 80's, but showed signs of life when a C&D runner-up, beaten by three quarters of a length last time out off 77. A 3lb rise makes this tough again, but he should at least be involved, as could (5) Titian who was a winner at Ripon by a head in May off today's mark and comes here off the back of a creditable fourth of ten beaten by just over two lengths at Newcastle last month.
All four have a great chance of making the frame, but Titian is the one I'll leave off my tickets and for those looking for a winner, Asgard's Captain is the one for me.
Leg 6 @ 7.00...It's a fairly poor looking race for a Class 4 that acts as our finale, but I've compiled a short list of four headed by top weight and my likely winner (1) Alzahir who drops back down from Class 2 having been beaten by just three lengths here over course and distance last time out. He had a win and a runner-up finish in his previous two starts before that Class 2 outing and if running like he did at Newcastle a month ago, could be hard to beat.
(3) Chalk Mountain clocked up an A/W hat-trick in September/October, which unfortunately moved his mark from a workable 68 to a difficult 82. That said, he was a 1.5 length runner-up over this trip at Southwell off this mark five weeks ago and drops in class here. (4) Admiral D hasn't won for 13 months now, losing ten on the spin, but on his day can be a useful E/W or placepot pick, having been a Class 3 runner-up twice in that sequence of defeats and although seventh of fifteen last time out, was only beaten by 2.5 lengths and drops two classes here.
(7) He's A Gentleman completes the quartet and of his 3 wins and 5 places from 18 on the A/W, he has 2 wins and 3 places from 9 here at Wolverhampton and has won over course and distance. He's now down to his last winning mark of 77 and might have a say in the proceedings if things fall his way.
All things considered, He's A Gentleman is probably the weakest of the four, so he's the one to miss out.
*
All of which gives me...
Leg 1: (4) Sundiata Keita, (5) Sun Keeper & (2) The Voominator
Leg 2: (4) Soldiers Star, (9) Sunlit Uplands & (5) Trouble Man
Leg 3: (1) Edge Ofthe Unknown, (6) Jiff's Army & (8) Perfect Life
Leg 4: (11) Something, (8) No Surrender & (12) Optician
Leg 5: (1) Asgard's Captain, (2) Lerwick & (3) Arcadian Nights
Leg 6: (1) Alzahir, (3) Chalk Mountain & (4) Admiral D
...and here's how I'd play them, whilst trying to stay close to a nominal £20 total stake...
