Equinties - sombre Saturday

Gm, Equinauts

The good racing Kempton put on was marred Saturday as we imagine most punters turned off the TV after the tragic losses of three lives.

Our thoughts are with connections.

Let’s dive in.

HEADLINE ROUND UP

SOMBRE SATURDAY

Harry Derham’s WERTPOL, Paul Nicholls’ KALIF DU BERLAIS and JJ’s PESO all sadly died on track on Saturday owed to three separate and desperately sad circumstances.

The BHA have produced a statement and will investigate each individual case thoroughly and try to determine if there are any between them (protocol when there is more than one death at a meeting).

Harry Derham’s WERTPOL was only having his first run for the yard but his short time at the yard doesn’t reduce the hurt felt by the yard. Derham’s staff will have spent many hands on hours with him.

KALIF DU BERLAIS had to be euthanised following a bad landing from a jumping error. He was a future star for Paul Nicholls having picked up a big Aintree Festival pot and was previously described by Nicholls as his future Gold Cup horse.

A young talent, his asset was his electric jumping. He was a stag which is why it’s so cruel that one error has stared starved us of ever seeing him fulfil his great potential.

PESO was only 7yo and starting his second full season at Jackdaw’s under JJ and team. He was pulled up mid-race and we assume he went wrong, but the specifics of the injury remain unclear so far as we can see. Oddly, the Racing Post produced a badly-timed feature article on Jackdaws, describing the yard atmosphere as ‘buoyant’ and there was no mention of their loss.

Unfortunately, animals do go wrong whether on track, in the wild or at home but the fact it occurred the same day as two fatal falls only compounds the sadness and the BHA need to do their job and try to find out why, if there is a reason at all, as to how and why it happened.

A sad Saturday and our thoughts are with connections of all three horses.

KEMPTON REVIEW

Aside from the miserable news of the losses of KDB, WERTPOL and PESO, can we take anything away from Kempton to help our betting decision making in the future?

One thing for sure is, if you fancy one, don’t let the price put you off!

We did say in Saturdays preview that the historic pricing of the winners in the Lanzarote were coming home at double digits, but 28/1 for an easy JP winner is rare!

Admittedly, we thought IBERICO LORD would have needed slower ground but he defied our wrong judgement to and the big prize by a widening 6 lengths. He was well-handicapped to a certain extent, his recent form leaving a lot to be desired - for the 5 runs since his fall at Ascot a little over a year ago saw him beat by an accumulative160 lengths, effectively coming home tailed in in every race.

He clearly enjoyed himself on the day though and JP was kind enough to let any punter who fancied him take a bit of 28’s!

We learned PRECIOUS MAN is fast. He should be called PRECIOUS MAN. Dan Skelton was quick to state he’s one of the most exciting juveniles he’s had, reminding him of a young ALLMANKIND. If you like him for the Triumph, don’t do your dough… Dan mentioned the flat natured course of Aintree a more suitable course as a big target to complement his talent.

Barbury boss Alan King had a memorable Saturday by landing a treble. BARON NOIR, our NAP THE DOYEN CHIEF and old boy EDWARDSTONE all obliged.

The buses often come three at once for King who has hit a treble a few times, the most memorable one being his Royal Ascot treble back in 2020. Back to Kempton, BARON NOIR only just did what the market expected of him but the highlight of his day will have been to see 12yo EDWARDSTONE back in the winners enclosure (who won the race KDB was in).

Well done, Kingy.

WEEKEND EYE-CATCHERS

MASTER CHEWY - SATURDAY KEMPTON 14.40

If he’s allowed a little holiday to freshen up, and have his sights lowered compared to the tough assignments of his most recent exertions and then this lad is going to be winning. He’s given owners some brilliant days out in hot, but Saturday races but it’s time to get him in a top handicap or bad Grade 2.

KING WILLIAM RUFUS - SATURDAY KEMPTON 15.53

Stayed on well after jumping the last with a lack of fluency. Should come down again after that, but not by much, and find himself on his last winning mark. He needs good ground.

NEW BETTING SHOW - THE LONG AND SPORT OF IT

Our newsletter intern, Jamie, came up with a good idea when the jumps was called off last week. Instead of moping around the house waiting for the tracks to thaw out, we needed to get out for an adventure… and so our new channel (and series) was born.

Powered by the Equinties newsletter, ‘the Long and Sport of it’ will showcase the worlds weirdest sporting events… and we’re going to bet on them.

Check out our debut episode, and if you enjoyed it - please subscribe and maybe give it a share with mates. Some of the interviews are very funny.

We have a full schedule lined up which will take us all around Britain and Europe this year and the camera will be rolling every single second… It’s going to be a fun journey.

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