Welcome to arseonlinetips. A 100% independent racing blog, brought to you by two racing enthusiast’s from either end of the British Isles. Charlie hails from Glasgow, while Rich is from the Isle of Wight, miles apart but united by the sport of kings….
It’s here… Champions Day at Ascot… We also have Charlie’s selection’s, Rich’s Final Word and we go head to head in the Sprint at Ascot, so let’s get this day started!!!
Charlie’s Selection’s –
.Solo Saxophone 🌟🌟-Won twice over 2m last season at Catterick and Wetherby before finishing 3rd at Exeter over 2m 1f in a Class 1 novice listed hurdle. Latest run was in the Fred Winter hurdle at Cheltenham over 2m when finishing a respectable 6th on soft ground. Has been gelded since and also undergone wind surgery, makes seasonal return today and steps up in trip to 2m 4f and 139y. If handling the extra yardage today could easily gain another win but is worth an Eachway play especially seeing as its first race since having those procedures.
Eachway Advised
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.Addeyeb 🌟🌟-Has been a revelation on soft ground this season winning at Newmarket, Doncaster and Sandown over 1m and 1m 1f. Latest defeat came in the Lockinge at Newbury over 1m on fast ground seeing Addeyeb finish a well beaten 8th. Hasn’t been seen since then and gets his ideal conditions today and could benefit from being fresh and looks overpriced at 7-1 and is worth an Eachway play.
Eachway Advised
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.Toboggans Fire 🌟🌟🌟 – Won on hurdles debut at Musselburgh over 2m in January this year. Has since finished 4th at Newcastle and Uttoxeter both over 2m. Although was 4th on latest run at Uttoxeter was less than 4 length behind the winner Soiesauvage in September. Remains on a workable mark and could easily bounce back here and give D McCain and W T Kennedy a well deserved win.
Win Advised
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Well that’s my thoughts on today’s selections, good luck if following and please remember to keep stakes small so it doesn’t hurt your pocket. Its now time for a head to head in the Sprint Stakes at Ascot.
Head to Head –
2.00 Sprint Stakes.. Group 1 Class 1.. 6f..
Rich – Tasleet… Runner up in this race last year to Librisa Breeze. The 5YO Showcasing horse has not won since May 2017, when landing the Group 2 6f Duke of York Stakes at York. He has only had 2 runs this season, which is far less than the resty of the field and was 3rd on seasonal return in the Group 2 Greenlands Stakes at the Curragh by 2 & 1/4 lengths to Merchant Navy. He was a well beaten 8th of 12 in the Sprint Cup at Haydock last time out, won by The Tin Man. Now he is tried in first time blinkers & tongue tie in the hope that it sparks the relevant improvement to make a challenge to The Tin Man….
Charlie – The Tin Man– Has been a fantastic horse the past two seasons and although prefers a sound surface, made light of heavy ground at Haydock in the sprint cup beating Brando by a 1/2 length. The Tin Man won this race back in 2016 and if repeating that here should have too much for this field and is a worthy favorite.
That’s our thoughts for the Sprint Stakes at Ascot, good luck to all horses and we hope they all return home safe and sound. It’s now time to hand you over to Rich for The Final Word.
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Rich’s Final Word –
Thanks Charlie, a nice winner yesterday & a drifter too, we do love a drifter… It’s a shame I couldn’t land a blow, although the Danger did win, so I guess that will do…. Wow.. Champions Day… Plenty to go through, so I best get started!!
Ascot… Soft… Heavy in places on the round course…
1.25 Long Distance Cup.. Group 2 Class 1.. 1m 8f..
The obvious place to start here is Stradivarius the 4YO Sea the Stars colt is 4 from 4 this season, including landing the million pound pot(Ascot gold cup 2m 3f, Goodwood cup 2m & Lonsdale cup 2m 56yds) and was a 1 length 3rd in this race last season behind Order of St George & Torcedor. The one slight problem could be the ground, as his form with soft in the description reads 5/4/3/3. He is the closest we have to a C/D winner in the field with 2 wins & 1 place at Ascot and is 3 wins and 1 place over 1m 8f and with Cyprus Creek, the only other winner at 1m 8f, the Stradivarius is the likely winner….
Of the Aidan O’Brien battalion, Ryan Moore prefers Flag of Honour, who since being stepped up in distance to 1m 6f . The Galileo colt has won his last 3 runs, all at the Curragh & beat Irish Derby winner Latrobe by 2 & 3/4 lengths on September 16th to win the Irish St Leger, with stable mate and fellow runner Cyprus Creek finishing last. Cyprus has since won the Naas Group 3 Loughbrown Stakes by 2 & 3/4 lengths…
The DARK HORSE in the field comes from Willie Mullins, he sends over Thomas Hobson, with Oisin Murphy on board. The 152 rated hurdler was a 1/2 length winner last time out when landing the Doncaster Cup, Group 2 from stable mate Max Dynamite. The ground is no issue either, as the 8YO Hailing gelding has a 100% record 5/5 on soft ground and is 1/1 on Heavy ground, winning up to 2m 4f…..
2.40 Fillies’ & Mares’ Stakes.. Group 1 Class 1.. 1m 4f..
Lah Ti Dah is the top rated horse in the field at 115 from only 4 career runs. The Dubawi filly won 3 on the trot before finishing a 2 & 1/4 length runner up to Kew Gardens in the St Leger at Doncaster, when taking on the boy’s for the first time. She won on good to soft ground on debut at Newbury back in April before taking the Pretty Polly(C1 Listed 1m 2f) at Newmarket(Fillies’ & Mares’) in May by 3 & 1/4 lengths. Having to step up in trip at York in August to land the Sir Henry Cecil Fillies & Mares’ 1m 4f by 10 lengths. You have to like her for this really and it may well be best to concentrate on the places instead, although, as we will see it’s very difficult….
Coronet, is another Dubawi filly, who won on seasonal return back in May at York, when taking the Middleton Stakes1m 2f) and since then has finished runner up to Waldgeist(4th in the Arc) by a short head in the Grand Prix De Saint-Cloud. Well beaten in the King George & Queen Elizabeth II Stakes by 9 & 1/4 lengths in 3rd to Poet’s Word before finishing runner up to Sea of Class in the Yorkshire Oaks(1m 3f) in August….
And now the form is all entwined…. The French raider Kitesurf is another Dubawi colt trained by Andre Fabre, who has won her last 2 runs when taking the De Ponone Group 2 Stakes in Deauville by 3 & 1/2 lengths and won again last time out in the 1m 4f Vermeille Stakes at Chantilly by a head from Aidan O’Brien’s Magic Wand, who was a 1 length runner up to Wild Illusion in the L’Opera on Arc day and leads the AOB 6 string in this race, along with Bye Bye Baby who was 5th in L’Opera… One AOB runner, who could go under the radar is Hydrangea, who has been out of sorts but has had a break and runs well fresh…
Pilastar was 3 from 3 this season for Roger Varian, until the Nathaniel filly met God Given(Another Nathaniel filly) in the Park Hill Stakes(1m 4f) at Doncaster, having won the Lillie Langtry at Goodwood only to finish 3rd in the Park Stakes..
God Given had been beaten by Pilastar previously but won last time and has also finished 3rd to Kitesurf!! Minefield…
Lah Ti Dah, Coronet & Kitesurf….. Would be my top 3…
3.15 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes.. Group 1 Class 1.. 1m..
Roaring Lion is top rated 127 & the Kitten’s Joy colt has been in fine form winning 3 from last 4 and was only 2 lengths 3rd to Masar in the Derby. He has spent most of the season running over 1m 2f, having started the season over 1m but with 2 defeats at Newmarket. Last season he ran over 1m winning 3 from 4 runs, so although the drop in trip maybe a concern it’s not really a problem and the ground is unlikely to hinder him too much either, with 3 Group 1 wins to his name and was a last time out winner, when beating Saxon Warrior in the Irish Champions Stakes on September 15th…
John Dance has supplemented his Siyouni filly Laurens, the 4 time Group 1 winner was also a last time out winner, in fact she has won her last 2 runs beating Alpha Centauri in the Matron Stakes at Leopardstown before landing the Chariots Fillies & Mares’ Group 1 last time out on October 6th by a head from Happily, who is the pick of the two Aidan O’Brien runners ahead of stable companion I Can Fly.
The French raider, Recoletos is very interesting. The Whipper colt, trained by Carlos Laffin-Parias was 4th in the Champions Stakes here last season. Although beaten by Alpha Centauri in the Jacques Le Marois at Deauville by 2 & 1/2 lengths in 2nd but won last time out by a head in the Group 1 Moulin Longchamp(1m) from Wind Chimes on September 9th…
Of the rest… Addeybb is 5 wins from 9 runs over 1m and has won twice from 3 runs on this kind of ground, although he was well beaten by Rhododendron in the Lockinge(which I think we can forgive that run) just back from a break and is known to go well when fresh….
3.50 Champions Stakes.. Group 1 Class 1.. 1m 2f..
Best to start with reigning champion stakes winner Cracksman, who has had some time off after having his flag lowered by Poet’s Word when last seen in the Prince of Wales Stakes back in June by 2 & 2/4 lengths. Freshened up and now the Frankel 4YO colt is fitted with first time blinkers as he look’s to end his racing career on a high. Having won 7 times from 10 starts before today & it looks as though the rain has come at the right time too after his facile win last year on soft to heavy ground…
Who are the contenders to try and take Cracksman’s crown??
Capri was last season’s St Leger winner and last won on season return in April, when taking the Naas Group 3 Alleged Stakes, although Aidan O’Brien’s Galileo colt has only run twice since, finishing 5th to Waldgeist in the Foy and then 3 lengths behind Enable in the Arc last time out, that form of the Arc has yet to be tested. Capri beat Cracksman by a head when they met in the Irish Derby in 2017…
Crystal Ocean finished runner up to Capri in last years St Leger and has gone from strength to strength this season, with the Sea the Stars colt winning 3 of his 5 starts and got within a neck of Poet’s Word in the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes back in June. He was 3 & 1/2 lengths behind Enable in the September Stakes at Kempton(AW) when last seen and we all know how Enable’s last run ended….
So if the blinkers fail to work for Cracksman, one of these two are most likely to profit!
Today’s Tracker –
That is everything for you today folks, let’s hope it’s a great day and that we see the very best of the best named Champions of their division…
A big thanks to everyone who has read our blogs and interviews through the last 6 months and to reach 20,000 views is amazing….
All the Best – Charlie & Rich
arseonlineracing 