Runners at Ffos Las & Salisbury
We shan't dwell on Poet Pete's run at Chepstow and we will have to take a decision about how to manage him going forward.
But we do go to Ffos Las this afternoon with what we hope are two competitive chances in Chromium and Bird for Life; Chromium has improved for switching to turf and has run consistently to around 65 in her three turf runs; she has shown in both of her last two Nurseries, at Newbury and at Ffos Las, that seven furlongs might be the thing and she should have an decent chance at the weights this afternoon with Ellie's Claim being particularly useful; the one proviso, as always with high summer Nurseries, is that there are eight guys having their first run in a handicap this pm and it is really difficult to know how unexposed any of them are; but our filly should go well.
Chromium is in the first race in SW Wales and Bird for Life is in the last, which will make for quite a long afternoon; Bird for Life has become something of a spiffing servant for our Racing Club and is really effective on both the polytrack and the tapeta; she has not proved quite as effective in her six runs on turf but the key this pm is that she runs off her turf mark of 53 compared with 68 on the aw; and if you were to allow all of Ellie's Claim she is 22 pounds better in; it is never quite as simple as that (were it so!) and she is also drawn one which could make it slightly difficult for Ellie to get the position she wants; but she should have a seriously competitive chance at the weights.
Which brings us to our good friend and non starting enigma Threediamondrings in Salisbury's staying handicap, the last race on their evening card. As I touched on yesterday his race this evening is a flip start in front of the stands without a starting stall in sight; he is nine pounds wrong on his turf rating but we have mitigated at least some of that by employing Thore Hammer Hansen and his five pound claim. It is hard to know what will happen but if he can get away on terms he is capable of running well; witness the video of his run at Leicester on the 18th of July when he was terribly, terribly slowly away (at least he did consent to set off . . . .) but have a glance at the position he got into one and half out and, although he did weaken in the last furlong, he was still beaten only eight lengths. For those with a long, long memory almost a John Francome and Derring Rose moment
Goodman Square runs for us at Goodwood tomorrow afternoon; and Bayston Hill at Chelmsford in the evening.