Have faith in Cardinal and Queen at Southwell
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THERE'S been so much to talk about in racing recently that I'm struggling to fit it all into this column comfortably and I almost feel embarrassed to have to give one horse priority and mention he/she first.
Plaudits have to go to the might mare Goldikova who miraculously won her third Breeders Cup Mile and her twelfth Group/Grade 1 race in total. That is some achievement and many will argue that she's the greatest miler we've ever seen. What's more, there's also talk that may even be back next year.
Sadly the other Supermare to race at the Breeders Cup, Zenyatta, failed to reel in the winner Blame in the Classic, despite running the race of her life. To those who have seen the race, her run was staggering. Dawdling into her stride, she was restrained many lengths off the tail of the field before cruising past all bar the victorious horse who beat her by a whisker.
From a British point of view, the star if the show was Dangerous Midge, who landed the Turf in the absence of compatriot Workforce, whilst Paco Boy was flying at the death in the Mile and finished a close fourth.
Over fences we saw the return of blue-eyed old boy Kauto Star over in Ireland, cajoled all the way by his loyal partner Ruby Walsh. Yet, racing being racing, the sting in the tail quickly followed with Ruby badly breaking his leg later on the same card meaning the green, yellow and purple silks must now be passed on to an able deputy for Kauto's next engagement, possibly the King George Chase at Kempton.
On the sand at Kempton, Godolphin introduce an interesting juvenile in the shape of Jameel (5.20), a son of the granite-tough mare Maids Causeway, winner of the 2005 Group 1 Coronation Stakes.
If she passes on any of her class and desire to her son he'll be a grand racehorse and will certainly go close in a lowly affair such as this. Sirius Prospect is probably the biggest danger and is not without ability but the selection won't have to be anything out of the ordinary to make a winning debut. Old English is best watched.
Southwell's artificial surface is very different to Kempton's, providing a much deeper, testing surface and horses that have ran well on the course before are usually the ones to follow. Therefore, Queen Of Cash, who was beaten a head on this surface when coming second in August is the one to side with in the 2.00.
Her rivals in this 6 furlong nursery look very ordinary so I'm sure connections would be very disappointed if she doesn't score again, despite a penalty for her recent success. Cristaliyev will be the selection's biggest danger but the Queen should scoop the cash here with the minimum of fuss.
Robert Cowell likes winners at Southwell and his Cardinal holds strong claims in the last (4.00) under Tom Eaves.
The son of Pivotal is in good order of late and has run well at this course in the past. So providing his outside draw doesn't inconvenience him too much, he should be able to sit just behind the leaders and attack off of the bend. He looks likely to go close in a weak race and could be a nice price.
Finally, I couldn't let this column go by without commenting on Johnny Murtagh handing in his notice as number one jock at Ballydoyle. Murtagh has done a fantastic job, highlighted by his partnership with horses such as Fame And Glory and Rip Van Winkle and will be well-used back as a freelance. Yet, the field for who will replace him is wide open. Christophe Soumillon would be favourite in my opinion but I wouldn't rule out Richard Hughes at 12/1 as a sneaky outside bet.
Selections Summary
Wednesday, November 10:
2.00 – Southwell – Queen Of Cash
4.00 – Southwell – Cardinal
5.20 – Kempton – Jameel
