Neil Morrice best bets and tips – Sunday 14 August 2022

PONTEFRACT

Race 1 No1 JAMIE BOND (Each Way)
Trainer: Bryan Smart – Jockey: Graham Lee

Juveniles from this stable regularly improve a fair way on their second outing, which is one reason why JAMIE BOND is worth considering in the opener. The son of Zoustar shaped well for a midfield finish behind Eternal Class at Thirsk, and has learned a great deal from it.

Race 3 No3 ADAAY IN ASIA (Each Way)
Trainer: Harry Dunlop – Jockey: Dylan Hogan

ADAAY IN ASIA capped a bountiful spell by swooping to conquer at the Shergar Cup, where she was given a peach of a ride. Her pilot today had been in the saddle for her two previous successes in July, and from a very good draw can launch the daughter of Adaay to complete a magnificent four-timer in this Listed feature.

Race 5 No6 GORDONS AURA
Trainer: Sir Mark Prescott – Jockey: Luke Morris

It’s interesting that Prescott previously trained Lindwall, who could prove the main stumbling block to his own GORDONS AURA in this stayers’ handicap. The selection has cost his followers with defeats at Yarmouth and Nottingham since going handicapping, but can find the extra needed to win now taking a further step up the distance ladder.

Race 6 No1 MAJESTIC (Nap)
Trainer: Mick Channon – Jockey: Ben Curtis

The beautifully named MAJESTIC should prove worth the wait and live up to his name in this novice stakes. The gelded son of Conduit has inched towards a first success by going 432 in as many career starts. Totally ignored in the market on the first two of those, he was much more popular when chasing home Golden Sheen at Ffos Las, and now has jockey of the moment Curtis on board for the first time.

CHELMSFORD CITY

Race 1 No2 STREET POET (Each Way)
Trainer: Michael Herrington – Jockey: Connor Plannas

STREET POET did us a good turn when scoring over course and distance at the beginning of the month. His last two successes have happened at the Essex circuit and he’s shown in the past an ability to string together a sequence of wins. From his revised mark he can put in another earning run.

Race 7 No8 CITY VAULTS (Nap)
Trainer: David O’Meara – Jockey: Jason Watson

Waiting for CITY VAULTS looks a sensible option on this trappy card. The lightly-raced grey got his act together on second run back from a wind operation at Ayr where he relished a big step up in trip from seven furlongs to a mile and a quarter. It showed him in a different light, and there should be more to come.

SOUTHWELL

Race 3 No3 AHAMOMENT
Trainer: David Barron – Jockey: Lewis Edmunds

If there’s one that can progress it has to be AHAMOMENT, who in gaining a mark started at 125-1, 20-1 and 22-1. Interestingly the gelding put in his best effort when beaten only two lengths into third in a Nottingham maiden, and it shouldn’t inconvenience him moving back up to seven furlongs for this first all-weather outing.

Race 4 No11 DARK SHOT (Each Way)
Trainer: Scott Dixon – Jockey: Jonathan Fisher

DARK SHOT enjoyed a ‘solo’ to win the Magnolia Cup ladies’ race at Goodwood and showed it was no fluke by taking home a cheque in a competitive Class2 at the same track the following day. Though getting a bit long in the tooth, the gelding has dropped onto a workable mark and looks set for another earning experience.

Race 7 No6 WORLD WITHOUT LOVE (Nap)
Trainer: Mark Johnston – Jockey: Jason Hart

WORLD WITHOUT LOVE can notch a comforting first career success as deserved reward following seven placings from her eight career starts. The chestnut went down by just half a length on her all-weather bow at Newcastle, and the cheek pieces fitted for the first time that day are retained. By Ulysses, a win will assist her paddock value.

DEAUVILLE SUNDAY

Race 1 Circus Maximus Prix Francois Boutin (Group 3)

No4 NEVERSAY (Each Way)

Trainer: Freddie Head – Jockey: Maxime Guyon

NEVERSAY has attracted considerable support on each of his three starts, culminating in a defeat at 6-4 in a Listed race here last month. The No Nay Never colt failed to cope with Breizh Sky but wasn’t beaten far, and enjoyed the step up to 1400 metres. The overall balance of his form gives him a bit to find, but at the respective prices he’s preferred to Godolphin’s Group 2 placed MYSTERIOUS NIGHT.

Race 4 PRIX DU HARAS DE FRESNAY-BUFFARD JACQUES LE MAROIS (Group 1)

No6 COROEBUS

Trainer: Charlie Appleby – Jockey: William Buick

This historic race marks the crescendo of the summer festival at Deauville and is one with a Pandora’s Box of possible outcomes.

While the older horses look to have it to do, there’s a potent match up of the top three-year-old fillies and colts, with 2,000 Guineas and St James’s Palace Stakes hero COROEBUS opposed by the unbeaten EREVANN and distaffers INSPIRAL and PROSPEROUS VOYAGE.

COROEBUS sets a high bar for his foes to aim at and the Dubawi colt has been freshened up since his defeat of stablemate Native Trail at Newmarket and Lusail at Royal Ascot. An examination of his five career starts reveals a colt that rarely wins by much but one who can dig deep for the spoils.

Erevann has achieved his unbeaten sequence of three for Jean-Claude Rouget in similarly game fashion, but must now make the jump up to Group 1 from Group 3 after a near two months absence. The Aga Khan-owned colt will need to be very good to carry the day.

Inspiral was one of the bigger success stories from Royal Ascot when storming home on seasonal reappearance in the Coronation Stakes. She then suffered the ignominy of being turned over as a 7-1 ON chance in the Group 1 Falmouth Stakes at Newmarket, with her conqueror on the July course, Prosperous Voyage, reopposing and trying to show it was not a fluke.

As Inspiral had last season annihilated the latter in both the May Hill Stakes at Doncaster and the Cheveley Park Stakes at Newmarket she should put the record straight, although even with her sex allowance I have reservations about her prospects of thwarting the Godolphin-owned favourite.

Prediction: 1st COROEBUS, 2nd Inspiral, 3rd Prosperous Voyage, 4th Efevann

Race 5 Prix Gontaut-Biron Hong Kong Jockey Club (Group 3)

No5 MAJESTIC DAWN (Nap)

Trainer: Paul Cole – Jockey: Ryan Moore

They say it takes a Group horse to win the Cambridgeshire, and that was certainly the case when MAJESTIC DAWN took out the first leg of the autumn double in 2020. The bold front runner demolished the field at Newmarket before going on to place in two Pattern races and win the Listed Festival Stakes in runaway fashion when last seen in May.

As a horse that’s shown he can operate effectively on return from an absence and with Moore in the saddle for the first time, he can stave-off the attentions of local hopes DILAWAR, MONTY and WALLY.

Race 6 Prix Minerve (Group 3)

No5 ETERNAL PEARL (Each Way)

Trainer: Charlie Appleby – Jockey: William Buick

Yet another of the feature races can fall into overseas hands, this time in the shape of Newmarket-based filly ETERNAL PEARL.

The daughter of Frankel has embarked on an upward curve this summer with her novice win on Polytrack being backed up by a triumph in the Listed Aphrodite Stakes at Newmarket.

The daughter of Frankel appears to be progressing faster than rivals such as paper favourite LASTOTCHKA and SEA THE SKY, who along with MELO MELO can fight out the places.