No Gerbil Day

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There were eight (4) and (5) graded races, Wednesday, with five being successful. Four were won by the clear top rated horse and one by the joint 2nd top rated. Three races were unsuccessful.

The sprint handicap at Chester went as I predicted. Strike Up The Band tried to make all but was overtaken close home by Sohraab. So I won't be betting on which box the gerbil enters....

The Chester Vase on Thursday (2-45) hasn't been the Derby trial it used to be in past years and I don't expect tomorrow's winner to improve its recent poor record of providing a realistic Derby hopeful. Instead I'll be looking to Aakef to continue his upward climb in the 4-35 sprint. Both he and Lucky Numbers have the prime draws of 1 and 2. But neither is a renowned front runner and they might not have a trouble free passage if they don't break prominently. That said, it is hard to look beyond the pair with Aakef being my pick as he has always promised to be a better sprinter than handicap class. I think he has a lot of improvement in him and as such his mark of 86 looks very lenient. I expect him to progress to higher ranks than this.

Have a good Thursday