Four meetings on a Tuesday split between afternoon and evening, and it is Catterick that does the heavy lifting early on. Four picks on the North Yorkshire card, then the evening brings us to Leicester, Lingfield and across the water to Naas. Thirteen selections in all, and the spread of prices tells you we think there is genuine substance right through the day.
The afternoon starts at 2:37 with Little Lady Karen, and she is the one we would build the day around. She sets a clear standard in this sprint, stall three is the ideal spot at Catterick’s tight track, and the Burke yard fires here. Her second over the trip last time was full of promise. An hour or so later, Ideal Guest is a bigger price than his form deserves. He got his head in front last time, and the defeats before that came behind horses who won on their next start, so he is running to a higher level than his mark implies. His sharpest speed has come round this track too. Hibernate at 4:12 completes a strong Catterick hand. Fast ground is exactly what he wants, two wins and two seconds from his last five runs say he is near his peak, and only three rivals stand in his way. Highfield Sunshine adds an each way angle later on the card.
The evening splits three ways. Lingfield opens with Emma’s Letter at 6:10, and in a four runner race she is comfortably the pick on our reading of the form. She won last time, knows the trip, and quick ground has always suited her. Miss Moneypit carries our confidence there too. Leicester is the busiest evening card with four picks, Typeface and Apex Star the two we have gone in strongest on, while Caraway and Afraj give us early and late interest.
At Naas, Watch Tower in the 8:00 brings the strongest recent progression of anything we have found today. Two seconds followed by a win only 13 days ago, and good ground plays to his record. A horse improving at that rate is hard to oppose at the price. Ninth Crusade goes in earlier as an each way chance at a double figure price.
Yesterday was a quieter one for us, a placed effort from Beauty Generation the best of it without a winner on the board. Days like that happen. Today’s card gives us more depth and more of the ground conditions we were looking for, so we go again with a proper hand.