Two meetings on the card as Brighton and Windsor provide Monday’s action
Racegoers and followers of the Flat have Brighton and Windsor to focus on, with competitive handicaps on the south coast and a notable juvenile contest in Berkshire. The cards offer a mixture of sprint handicaps and novice events that will be of interest to those following up-and-coming juveniles and horses dropping into more suitable company.
2.30 Brighton: Blackmore Building Contractors Handicap
The Blackmore Building Contractors Handicap brings together a handful of in-form sprinters. One to note is South Shore, who has shown a marked improvement since joining Robert Cowell and arrives with solid recent form figures for the yard.
Nogo’s Dream lines up with Billy Loughnane taking the ride. He finished second at Sandown last time, beaten by a progressive type, and arrives on a mark five pounds lower than his last winning rating. That Sandown form has worked out well, with the third subsequently scoring again, suggesting a competitive showing is likely.
Merrimack returned to winning ways at Newmarket earlier on the sequence of runs but did not sustain his effort when last seen. He tends to perform best when able to dominate the race, so his effectiveness may depend on the tempo and how prominently other runners go.
Other runners to keep in mind include Em Four, who has been eased in class, and course specialists Secret Handsheikh and Kento, both of whom would have claims if they take their chance.
5.48 Windsor: Juddmonte EBF Restricted Novice Stakes
The feature juvenile contest at Windsor sees the Richard Hannon-trained Camarda Rc headlining the Juddmonte EBF Restricted Novice Stakes. The colt impressed on debut, scoring by a clear margin, and carries the notable booking of Sean Levey for this assignment. He displayed speed on first appearance despite being bred for middle distances, and connections have also entered him in major juvenile engagements at higher level.
Regalism could pose a threat if he takes another step forward following a promising second start for the partnership of Matthew (Tom) Marquand and Mark Haggas, with the decision taken to stretch him out to a mile. Nakila Sun, already with a run under her belt, encountered trouble when wide and finished with a late run; she is another of the more exposed and formful types in the line-up.
A number of newcomers complete the field. Aetheslstan Gold, Distant Sun and The Sergeon each arrive without a racecourse profile, so market clues could prove illuminating regarding their potential on debut.
6.18 Windsor: Play The Free £20,000 Matchbook Match 6 Handicap (0-85)
The evening card at Windsor includes a tricky seven-runner 0-85 handicap that looks to be competitive from top to bottom. Recent winners Tai Hang Pegasus and Raulin have been penalised and will carry extra weight, but both go into the race in good order, with Tai Hang Pegasus perhaps having the more straightforward recent success.
Charlie Fellowes’ runner, partnered again by Paddy Bradley, remains one of the less exposed contenders in the line-up. Cape Fear, trained by Andrew Balding, produced what looked like a career-best performance at Chester earlier in the month and may be building into a progressive spell.
Morcar disappointed on his latest start but is not without hope if able to return to earlier form, while Just An Hour has been running well from a reduced mark. Percival has shown encouragement in two starts since joining Dylan Cunha and may be worth watching as he continues to adjust to his new stable. Melek Alreeh has stronger form on the all-weather than turf, but a forward run after a reappearance could make him relevant in a tightly-balanced event.
What to watch
- Camarda Rc’s progression over a mile for Richard Hannon and how he handles the step up from a swift debut.
- Whether the pace set in the Brighton sprint favours front-runners such as Merrimack or allows late runners to press home their claims.
- The formlines of recent winners carrying penalties in the Windsor 0-85 handicap and the potential for improving three-year-olds such as Cape Fear.
Both meetings provide useful midweek opportunities to assess developing juveniles and handicappers headed for bigger targets later in the season.
