Propre Tuesday

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The Handicap Ratings and Speed Ratings combined top three strike rate for Monday was 78%. If a horse wasn't in the top three rated of the handicaps or the speed ratings , then it was highly likely it wouldn't win.

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There were eight (4) and (5) UK graded races, Monday. Five were won by the clear top rated horse and one was won by the clear 2nd top. Two races were unsuccessful.


Beaubrav was never at the races and was never going to beat the gambled on winner. But the one hint of his improving his position was thwarted as his "head-down-don't-know-where-I'm-going-but-the-winning-post-is-up-here-somewhere" rider disappointed him by running into the derrieres of his opponents. Ability, eh?

Tuesday sees the the start of Royal Ascot. It is a meeting that we all look forward to but one which lacks the raw atmosphere of Cheltenham. While most winners at Cheltenham are greeted with ground-shaking cheers, the winners at Royal Ascot are, in the main, greeted with polite applause and the isolated whoop and whistle. Of all the race meetings I will never go to Royal Ascot is the main one. There is more atmosphere on a cool Monday evening at Pontefract. I recall in sadness the muted applause Yeats got last year when he completed the Gold Cup hat-trick. It was an historic achievement received in the winners enclosure like a gambled on selling race winner. Royal Ascot is not and has never been put on for regular racegoers like me. So I'll always stay home Royal Ascot week and enjoy it much, much more on the telly.

With Fleeting Spirit having something to prove on his debut, and with the likes of Tax Free and Borderlescott unlikely to get better than they are, the King's Stand Stakes (3-05) looks a straight fight between Amour Propre and Scenic Blast.

The latter has shown vastly improved form this year and has won the same two prestigious handicaps as the other two Aussie winners of this race, Takeover Target and Miss Andretti. The balance of his form is not quite as good as those two when they arrived here, but connections are expecting him to run a very big race. Overall, he has shown a tendency to prefer good and softer ground - though I am reliably informed that some good ground in Australia could be compared to good to firm ground here. Yet it would seem he will need the rain to flash over Ascot to improve his chances.

Amour Propre has also improved a lot this year and his Palace House victory stamped him as a very high class group race sprinter. He has no ground worries and is not disadvantaged by his age because 3-Y-Os have an excellent record in the race. I expect him to make home advantage tell.

Gladiatorus (2-30) should hold off the improving Main Aim. Mastercraftsman (3-45) should confirm form with Delegator. Canford Cliffs (4-20) can confirm the impression that he is the top 2-Y-O seen so far (at the main expense, I think of No Hubris and Red Jazz). Judgethemoment (4-55) is a fair each way bet in a very competitive staying handicap. And Mister Manannan aside, I leave the last race to the pinstickers.

Have an enjoyable day.