Sunday 11 June’s UK racing tips come your way from meetings at Goodwood, Perth and Beverley.
GOODWOOD
Race 2 – THUNDER BLUE 15/8
THUNDER BLUE looked a winner in waiting on his Haydock debut and can prove that point in this novice stakes.
Owners Amo Racing are enjoying a fantastic season with their two-year-olds, many of which are with Dominic Ffrench Davis, and they went to £180,000 to secure this son of Blue Point at the breeze-ups.
He made his introduction on Merseyside two and a half weeks ago and did well to be beaten just half a length by The Camden Colt after suffering a troubled passage.
Admittedly the winner did not do much for the form in the Woodcote at Epsom, but Thunder Blue nevertheless looks more than capable of landing a race of this nature.
Race 4 – AL ASIFAH 4/6
Impressive debut winner AL ASIFAH can successfully graduate to Listed class at Goodwood.
The three-year-old is a typically well-bred product of the Juddmonte operation, being a daughter of Frankel out of a Listed-placed half-sister to Irish 2,000 Guineas winner Awtaad.
She had presumably been showing John and Thady Gosden plenty prior to introduction at Haydock last month as she was odds-on to dispatch five rivals and did so in some style.
While the form of the race is nothing special, with the apparently exposed 74-rated Anjo Bonita filling the runner-up spot, the manner of Al Asifah’s near five-length triumph suggested she is destined for bigger and better things.
Assuming she handles the tight turns of Goodwood, she should prove very hard to beat in the fourth.
Race 5 – PONS AELIUS 7/2
PONS AELIUS can deservedly get back on the winning trail for Charlie Johnston in this handicap outing.
The four-year-old has filled the runner-up spot in his last two races, most recently going down by a head to Scottish Dancer at Chester.
While he was ultimately beaten fair and square on the Roodee, a wide draw was undoubtedly a disadvantage, while the winner has followed up since, giving the form a solid look.
Raised only a pound in the weights, Pons Aelius will take some pegging back around here, with Oisin Murphy a positive jockey booking.
PERTH
Race 5 – LANDOFMILES 11/4
The Sam Morshead Perth Gold Cup is the main attraction over the jumps in Scotland and the vote goes to LANDOFMILES.
Trainer Peter Bowen has claimed two of the last four renewals of this contest and will have high hopes for a horse that is two from two at the track.
He made a successful return from 486 days off the track when scoring by 10 lengths at Uttoxeter last month and must have every chance of doubling up so long as the dreaded ‘bounce factor’ does not take effect.
BEVERLEY
Race 3 – COLTOR 12/1
COLTOR is of interest in the third at Beverley today, and at a double-digit price too.
Formerly a quality dual-purpose runner for Dermot Weld, the six-year-old was bought by Nick Bradley for 25,000 guineas in the autumn and is now with the training team of Roger Fell and Sean Murray.
An encouraging stable debut at Kempton in January was followed by a second-placed finish over hurdles at Musselburgh, after which he was pulled up in the Pertemps Final at the Cheltenham Festival.
He was bitterly disappointing when switched back to the Flat at Doncaster on his most recent outing, finishing last of four on heavy ground, but he is back to his last winning mark on the level and is given another chance for a yard that has been among the winners this month.
Race 5 – LEITZEL 11/1
The David O’Meara-trained KEITZEL looks feasibly treated ahead of her reappearance in this fillies’ handicap.
The daughter of Teofilo looked really smart when scorching clear on her Haydock bow in the summer last year and beat the now 87-rated Double March when following up at the same track in September.
An ambitious tilt at the Group Two Rockfel Stakes proved too much for her to handle on her final juvenile start, but making her handicap debut from a perch of 85, less Mark Winn’s 5lb claim, she is capable of going close if fit enough to do herself justice after a break.
