Equinties - bolted up

Gm Equinauts

At some point, chatter around the bar inside Newbury owners and trainers always, always ends up in a fiercely contested debate over who the best jockey is, or at least who’s in the top 5 and so it was quite apt yesterday when that conversation arose Colin Keane was just getting a leg up on his first ride as retained rider for Juddmonte.

A leftfield move by Juddmonte, it requires a lot of travelling from Colin but in all the interviews we’ve seen his hungry for it and we think he’s perfect for the job.

The standard of riding in Ireland is better and so when he’s holding his own day in day out in big fields and difficult tracks, he should have no problem over here.

Juddmonte and Keane, a relationship which should flourish and got off to the perfect start yesterday at our home ground.

Let’s dive in.

HEADLINE ROUND UP

BOLTED UP

First ride, first winner - no better way to do it.

That’s right, Colin Keane bolted in on the competently named BLUE BOLT.

They were not fave as they left the gates but the market got it totally wrong as the odds on CONSECRATED was stuffed and trailed in nearly last.

Back to BLUE BOLT. She’s BLUE POINT and her dam MAYHEM (brilliant name) has a habit of producing good girls, think 100 horses in SEA THEME and SKY ANGEL, so she was always bred to be useful, and what she did yesterday blew everyone else to bits streaking clear by an easy 2 lengths.

On the win Colin said “It's the perfect start – I'm very privileged to be asked to wear these colours and they are iconic in racing,”

“I have grown up looking at them and their farm is only up the road, so I'm in a very privileged position.

“She is a nice filly who was a good winner the last day and seems to have stepped forward again. She's very uncomplicated, she just gallops on. It felt very easy for her in the first half of the race – I was trying to take her back a little bit and she just got a bit lonely once she had quickened away from them.”

SHAKE UP

For a long time horse racing as struggled with too many chefs in the kitchen wanting to plate up various different things, with some wanting to eat all the food themselves and barely leaving a scrap for anyone else.

The Racecourse Association, the Racehorse Owners Association, the Thoroughbred Breeders Association, Bookmakers and the rest, often clash with differing views on how the business of racing should be done, with some action to entirely of the benefit of the sport as a whole.

Well now, the BHA’s intended new chair Charles Allen is proposing a big shake up in the the governance of exactly how things are done.

How?

A new model would effectively see the racings main body, the BHA split into two separate and very much independent entities - a reg board and a commercial board called British Horseracing Enterprises (BHE)… as if we needed ANOTHER acronym lol!

Jokes aside, we think this is good news for while the BHA will remain as the governing body of the sport, a totally independent steer on important commercial decisions that might otherwise be influenced by stakeholders with vested interests can only be a good thing for the future of racing.

It’ll be interesting to see if this proposal can get kickstarted when Lord Allen takes his position.

More:

TWEETS OF THE DAY

RISK ON

13.00 ENRICHER

Let’s hope this lad enriches us. First time out but apparently this lad is bloody useful and way too big at 11’s. He’s up against a 4/1 on Godolphin nag who might easily be able to carry the winners penalty but it’s worth a swing at the stumps from the boundary. We’re going to bet him ew plus a stake on the win w/o fave at 2/1 plus a small reverse forecast with the fave. Three bets staking a notional we’d apply to two normal stakes.

15.15 MISS JUSTICE

Improving all the time and the step up in trip should suit. She lost her shoe lto which wouldn’t have helped and her run two starts back was good. No certainty and basing a bet on her improvement so small stake at 15/8.

17.30 MYSTIC MOMENT

This girl should take all the beating today having had a run and they’re fairly bullish on the win. A bet at 15/8. The Cole’s filly is nice apparently. She’ll wear a red hood to the start as she’s fiery so let’s hope she runs her race in the pre’s but still, might be worth having a small stake saver on her.

19.50 SILVER WRAITH

Right, last chance saloon for this girl. As we’ve mentioned before, her dam was with Eve many years ago and she was bloody useful but just never stayed sound. If this girl has anywhere near her ability the she’s bloody well handicapped and Goodwood could have been the long term plan (think MASTER MILLINER for connections). She needs to improve a lot but we’re thinking, more hoping, she has more to give. We took 5/1 but 4/1 ew is a bet.

WE WILL BE HAVING A COUPLE OF STRONG BETS NEXT WEEK. SUBSCRIBE BELOW TO ACCESS ALL OUR ROYAL ASCOT PREVIEWS AND BETS:

For exactly the same price as a pint of Guinness at Cheltenham, become a premium subscriber and gain access to our very best content.

Already a paying subscriber? Sign In.

A subscription gets you:

• • Our famous weekender edition
• • That warm fuzzy feeling inside knowing the intern gets fed
• • Big race previews and best bets
• • Bet competitions