Friday 27th December
6.00 Wolverhampton - Two Auld Pals 5/1 Non Runner / Le Rouge Chinois 10/1 Lost
At least four or five of these could be given decent chances but im gonna side with a couple who i think can trouble the principals and hopefully go close. First one of those is Two Auld Pals , was running over hurdles when last seen but before that ran his first race on the all weather and acquitted himself very well , coming second by a neck to Dance Time , who likes it on the artificial surfaces so im thinking that was a decent AW debut and that there could possibly be more to come here. Dont think the drop back to 1m6f from that initial AW race will hinder his chances too much , and the fact that trainer Lucinda Russell sends just this here from her Perth base making him the longest traveller at the meeting didnt go un noticed , Sam James booked to ride and hes one from one aboard the horse to date. Think he can be making his presence felt. Le Rouge Chinois been abit out of form the last twice but before that had been running well enough and im hoping that now Alistair Rawlinson is back in the saddle he can get back to winning ways. Horse is coming down in class which has to help his chances here. Jockey has a win and two places from his five rides to date , and has a 13% strike rate when coming here to ply his trade. Horse has placed on sole start here at Wolverhampton , has won and placed at the distance and doesnt look badly drawn to me. Michael Appleby a shrewd operator and his are always worth a second look , with a 12% strike rate round here overall. If on song can definatley be there or thereabouts.
8.00 Wolverhampton - Port Noir 11/2 Lost / Plumette 13/2 Lost
Couple in this one for me , firstly , yup , Port Noir , after backing it the last three times i cant let it go without my dough on it just in case ! I can see that this one could well become a bit of a cliff horse if im not careful !! Beaten a head by Molly Valentine last time out over a furlong further with the pair 3 1/2 lengths ahead of the third home , she remains in form and basically everything i wrote about her the last few times still stands .. consistently running well , on the premises in his last seven runs , CD winner (two wins / four places from eight runs) , distance winner , won in the class and she looks to be well berthed to me. Luke Morris back in the saddle and she shouldnt be far away when it matters. Also like the chances of Plumette , hasnt won for a while but has been running respectably all the same , - 4,2,3,2 before last time out when only managing tenth here over 7f but did meet major problems so that run can be forgiven and shes best judged on her previous efforts imho. Two wins and four places from eleven runs over this evenings CD , and does well at the course overall when coming here generally. Won from higher marks than todays , decent draw to my eyes , and has won in todays class. Connor Planas takes off 3lb and he has a place from his two rides to date , David Loughnane has an 18% strike rate over the last coupla weeks and when teaming up with the jockey over the last three weeks they have a 12% strike rate. Should be in the mix i think.
7.30 Wolverhampton - Visibility 16/1 Lost (3rd) / English Spirit 5/1 Lost
Probably p*ssing in the wind with Visibilty but i feel that despite recent form its gonna pop up sooner or later at a decent price and stepping up in distance shouldnt hurt his chances as hes won over todays CD four times to date and placed a further nine times , won off higher than todays mark and i just think given that you cant totally write his chances off at a decent price. Won from much higher than todays mark. Doesnt look badly drawn and like i say i can see him popping up at a price one of these days. English Spirit also catches my eye , five time winner over CD so cant write his chances off. A below par 6th of 10 here over a furlong shorter last time but that could be down to the poor draw and before that won over CD in decent fashion beating Newfangled by a length. Has won off a higher mark than todays and looks much better drawn today so im hopeful of a better run. Jack Mitchell in the plate and hes won/placed on the horse before , and has a 15% strike rate in the last couple of weeks , and riding well here this term with a 12.5% strike rate and a profit of +£24.48. Heather Main been amongst the winners with a 13% strike rate over the last fortnight , and she has a 20% strike rate when sending her runners here this season alongside a healthy +£56.38 profit. Shouldnt be far away,
6.30 Wolverhampton - Bang On The Bell 9/1 Lost / Pure Angel 13/2 Lost
Another race and another couple onside , first one is Bang On The Bell whose been a bit hit and miss this term but overall id say that hes been fairly consistent for the most part .. fifth of eight lto at Chelmsford , i hhave a feeling he could do better here at Wolverhampton where five of his seven all weather wins have come (four of those over this evenings CD) , also placed four times over CD as well so obviously has a liking for it round here i think. Coming down in the weights slowly and hes won from a higher mark than todays , draw and class both look okay to me. Catches my eye that Clifford Lee is back on board today and he has a decent record on the horse with four wins and five places from fifteen rides , has a 12% strike rate when coming here to ride. Another thing that caught my eye is the fact that J R Jenkins sends just this one to the meeting. Could go close at a decent price. Pure Angel is the other one i like , only had eight runs to date and her best efforts have both come here at Wolverhampton , with her sole career win and a second , both over CD , only four and lightly raced so there could well be more to come. Had wind surgery and 491 days off before coming a lacklustre eighth at Chelmsford lto but im hoping for a better effort here after that initial run out , trainer James Horton has just this one here and he has 29% strike rate overall when sending his runners here , Adam Farragher onboard for the second time , rode the horse for the first time lto. Think she could go well here if back to her best.
