Races

Scott Embry’s Saturday Ascot Preview

Posted on | Posted by Scott Embry

Race 1

MY JIMMY and I’M NIPOTE both back up off 7 days from Opening Day into an extremely winnable Westspeed Mile. Both do their best work winding up from the back of the field and so it might come down to who gets the better run in the home straight, with Lucy Fiore drawn wide and allowed to ride her own race, and Joey Azzopardi dictated to from barrier 1. Going to side up with I’M NIPOTE in the hope that he can join the three deep train and take advantage of any traffic that My Jimmy encounters. MY JIMMY showed a brilliant turn of foot to gun down So Si God last weekend and if the gaps appear for him he’ll be very hard to hold out. SANDFIRE ROSE is looking for a winning hattrick and can roll straight to the top. BOUSSAC is hard to catch/trust/ride/look at.

Numbers: 3 – 1 – 4 – 5

Suggested Bet – I’M NIPOTE WIN

Race 2

SILENT DIVA is bursting her way through the grades. She has won three of her last four taking her from a 60+ Graduation to a 72+ and from a m66 to a m79 in the space of only 2 months. Looks another really nice race for her to settle midfield and bank on her turn of foot being superior to rivals, many of which she beat home last start. Big day for Jason Pateman’s team and this mare should go close to giving him his first win since taking over Grant & Alana’s operation. SILVER EYE looms as the danger. He’s coming out of superior races, 84+ features and a Listed Hannans handicap where he was only beaten 3L on a day where it was physically impossible to make any ground at all. Well placed here. OLY’S CHOICE has returned in good order and is attacking the line strongly. ARCADIA KNIGHT got caught up in a bit of traffic last start and also put in a bit of a flat one.

Numbers: 5 – 1 – 2 – 3

Suggested Bet – SILENT DIVA WIN

Race 3

HEZANGELIC won back to back Westspeed Platinum races last preparation at 1000m and 1100 and is a model of consistency. 1000m horses for 1000m races he will look to cross down to the fence and if he does so then he’ll be right there in the firing line at an eachway quote for a long time. JEDI DREAM won a 2 year old SWP on debut before heading into the Gimcrack, Karrakatta and WA Sires. She finished an eye catching fourth behind Afireofgidgeecoals, Beatty and Aurum Belle in the Karrakatta and an honest fourth behind Beatty and Afireofgidgeecoals in the Sires. The query on her here will be 1000m – but thought she was sharp enough in a 930m back straight trial at Lark Hill to suggest that with an uninterrupted passage first-up she could get away with it. PERFECT CHANT won a 3 year old Saturday on debut and two starts later ran third to Smooth Chino and London’s Image in a Magic Millions. Hasn’t fired a shot since in an interrupted career. LET’S TALK bounced back to a bit of form last start.

Numbers: 1 – 7 – 4 – 3

Suggested Bet – HEZANGELIC EACHWAY

Race 4

TREASURED LEGACY was stiff the last time she met key rivals Roger and Rogue Ruler. Since then she has toyed with older rivals in a C3 and looks an exciting filly on the rise headed for races like the Burgess Queen and Champion Fillies. If she can find the right back to follow mid-race she’ll be hard to hold out late. ROGER has done nothing wrong so far. He powered away from moderate rivals to break his maiden and then took a big step forward second-up to beat Swift Ruler and Rogue Ruler (and Treasured Legacy) to remain undefeated and win a 3 year old 1400. He steps, he travels and he does everything right and in a race where he should be able to stalk the every move of Raw Umber he looks hard to beat again. FLYING IN THE WIND didn’t beat anything on debut and there was nothing special about the time she ran, but visually it was impressive. RAW UMBER is raw and has a big reaching stride.

Numbers: 8 – 2 – 10 – 3

Suggested Bet – TREASURED LEGACY WIN

Race 5

QUOKKA ROCKA won a 3 year old 0MWLY beating Xentaro before heading into 3 year old Saturday company at his last two runs of the prep. Beaten under 3L by Split The Gee, Snitzalatte and then fifth in a blanket finish behind Ladies Pro, Peaceful Ruler, Linchpin and Spellborn, beating home Like Clockwork. Really liked his barrier trials for his return, love these lightly raced 4 year olds in 0MWLY company and just needs some luck early to find a spot from a tricky draw. Need eachway and going to get eachway. LINCHPIN looked far sharper in his barrier trial than anything he produced last campaign. First-up last prep at 1200m he finished 2L off Playin’ It Sweet and Talkanco in a WA Breeders. Reproduces that and he’s hard to beat at this level. CABLE ROCK Has turned a corner since being ridden for speed. DELZEE is still very new and raw.

Numbers: 7 – 3 – 5 – 6

Suggested Bet – QUOKKA ROCKA EACHWAY

Race 6 (Best Bet)

SWIFT RULER could line up in a VRC Derby in a fortnight’s time at Group One Level should he safely account for his older opponents here in a 66+ 1800. He’s a 2x 2 year old Saturday SWP winner and a 3 year old SWP winner who gets in with only 53.5kg after the Holly Nottle claim from a perfect draw. He lumped 60.5kg last start against horses like Roger, Rogue Ruler and Treasured Legacy in a race that had more quality and depth than this, so the 7kg weight relief looks an absolute luxury. Very hard to beat. I LOVE YA MONEY took advantage of the two favourites (Bosun and Swift Ruler) settling last and second and under-performing badly to take out the $100,000 Westspeed Platinum Final. He’s getting better with racing. MORE THAN ENUFF is coming to hand quickly. I DREAMED A DREAM thrived off a freshen in Kal.

Numbers: 4 – 8 – 5 – 3

Suggested Bet – SWIFT RULER WIN

Same Race Multi – King of Light (Win) + Western Empire (Top 3)

King of Light is an extremely exciting Railway Stakes / Northerly Stakes / Gold Rush proposition this preparation for Team Morton and this is the his chosen starting point at SWP. Think the way this race shapes out he’ll end up in the three deep moving line with Western Empire and from there they can make their runs together down the centre.

Race 7

WESTERN MISS was nearly knocked over on debut, was a good thing beat second-up, then won three on the bounce from a maiden to a C3 to a 60+ Graduation before ending her preparation in third behind Tidweel and Southern Firetail in a 3 year old 1400. She resumes here off a seriously good barrier trial and reading between the lines it looks like they’re trying to get her to settle a bit more this campaign (ear muffs on, tongue tie on). She’s highly progressive and brilliantly placed into a grade in which she’s already won (at $1.50!). Nice mare. BONDIS FUTURE hasn’t raced for 910 days – that April 2024! Obviously a huge unknown how he’ll go on race day, but he couldn’t be trialling much better? DESERT WAVES run was better than it reads first-up. TAHNI TALK copped 13 points for running second in the WATC Derby. Makes life hard now.

Numbers: 7 – 3 – 4 – 1

Suggested Bet – WESTERN MISS WIN – Western Miss holds a nomination for the Railway Stakes in just over a month’s time. To get there, she would need to win this, then progress through a 72+ and the RJ Peters to secure a Golden Ticket into the Group 1 feature. She’s very exciting and has trialled up super for her return.

Race 8

PLAYIN’ IT SWEET is drawn right alongside Hot and High and it’s an exciting clash between two lightly raced and highly progressive 4 year old mares who both need the ratings points on offer to get themselves into bigger target races later in their preparations. She’s won a Burgess Queen, a WA Breeders and a Challenge Stakes and personally don’t think there’s much between her and Hot and High on ability, and yet she’s over double the price in betting and surprisingly, eachway! HOT AND HIGH has only suffered defeat once in her life, and that was in a head bobbing finish in the Raconteur Stakes. She’s 6 from 7, she’s trialled up well on two occasions leading into her return to racing and she’s drawn barrier 1 to box seat on the back of likely leader Cessation who has a tendency to wobble up the track in the home straight. If she parks and rides the speed then a rails run should appear for her on straightening. Crawford – Asian Beau – Peters/Railway? In for a big prep. CESSSATION jumps and runs. LONDON’S IMAGE is the best suited under the SWP conditions of the race.

Numbers: 5 – 6 – 4 – 3

Suggested Bet – PLAYIN’ IT SWEET EACHWAY

Race 9

KING OF LIGHT is the All In Favourite for the Railway Stakes and justifiably so. Same as Hot and High in the Crawford he’s 6 from 7 having only suffered defeat as a beaten favourite in the Northerly Stakes last year at WFA when he was knocked around by the older horses and not his usual self. Toyed with them in the Idyllic Prince over Winter at WFA and looks the horse to beat 8 weeks later in the Eurythmic. Still improving and that’s scary. WESTERN EMPIRE took all before him over the Winter WFA series last year went within three quarters of a length of winning a second Railway Stakes. He’s all class, all heart and pure quality. IN GOOD ORDER has been trialling well and this time last year ran second to Super Smink in the Lee Steere first-up at 1400. WATCH ME ROCK didn’t have his blinkers on at trials.

Numbers: 3 – 1 – 4 – 2

Suggested Bet – KING OF LIGHT WIN

Race 10

OURGIRLCANRUN is a high speed machine. At her most recent outing she led and won a 3 year old 1200 at Belmont that contained subsequent Racontuer Stakes winner Vatican Storm and emerging sprinting mare Like Clockwork. She only carries half a kilo more in this 66+ than she did that day against her own age group. If she’s allowed to cross, she’ll be very hard to run down. ROCK FEST will be hoping that there’s a strong Westerly blowing at this stage of the day to bring the backmarkers into the race. Thought he trialled better than Afireofgidgeecoals recently at Belmont and he’s Listed and Group 2 placed to King of Light. TIMELESS GEM tried hard in the Ron Sayers memorial and maps nicely here. HURRICANE HARLEY is working his way through the grades impressively.

Numbers: 10 – 4 – 5 – 2

Suggested Bet – OURGIRLCANRUN WIN

Quaddie (Race 7 – 10)

7

3,4,5,6

3

4,10




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