Interestingly the horses that came up as strong form runners for Sunday’s race meeting at Scottsville are all No 8 – Race 1: Eddie The Mover, Race 2: Senor Garcia, Race 7: Princess Tea and Race 8: Bay Breeze.
Vercingetorix progeny usually don’t take long to win their maidens and Eddie The Mover, who showed good promise at Greyville, rates the best bet on the card. He met a highly regarded individual in Ode To The Ocean who had already had a racecourse experience and should go one better in Race 1, a Maiden Juvenile Plate over 1200m.
Follow the betting closely as there are first-timers to watch out for.
Senor Garcia should have won his last race and can make amends in this Maiden Plate, also over 1200m. Having finished strongly in previous races he was given his head from a good draw on the Polytrack and turning for home looked the likely winner.
However, his rider may have been a bit too exuberant and pushed him out too soon, allowing an experienced runner on the surface to reel him in.
Main danger Red Sole has good form and should have won by now but he is taking a steep drop in distance and making his debut at Scottsville. He is worth including in Swingers an Exactas.
Princess Tea will be a likely banker for most in Race 7, a MR 69 Handicap for fillies and mares over 1400m. The diminutive filly has won two of her last three and doesn’t look like stopping in this one as she looks capable of beating better.
Punters may be put off by her second placing in her run at this venue with wins only at Greyville, but she was given too patient a ride and allowed others to swamp her in the sprint for home. Current rider Jason Gates is unbeaten in two starts aboard her.
The value bet looks to be Bay Breeze in Race 8, another MR 69 Handicap for fillies and mares. She needed her last run badly and having finished eighth, will be overlooked. However, she was most impressive in her penultimate (albeit over 1900m) and did have a valid excuse in that she ended that last race with a brush wound to her left hind. She too looks to have better fields to take on.
Clive Robinson
