Newcastle best bet: Course specialist Pallas Lord poised to turn tables on Saisons D’Or
Runners and riders at Newcastle racecourse
There’s plenty in with a shout of landing this handicap, with the three market leaders looking set to dominate what should be a fascinating sprint over Newcastle’s challenging seven-furlong track.
18:30 Newcastle: Bet 10 Get 40 at BetMGM Handicap (7 furlongs)
Interestingly the four big-priced outsiders are all drawn in the lowest-numbered stalls, so a good break could give the likes of Ana Emaraaty and Sparkle In His Eye the chance to make the early pace and grab the rail to have an impact at tasty each-way odds.
However, Newcastle’s challenging gradient makes it a very difficult track at which to win from the front, so we can expect the more experienced campaigners to bide their time and make their move in the closing stages.
How that will affect the well-fancied Crypto Quest will be fascinating to watch as Gemma Tutty’s five-year-old steps up to seven furlongs for the first time, having just failed to get up when beaten by a nose over six furlongs here last time out two weeks ago.
With that question still to be answered, a safer option might be three-time course-and-distance winner Saisons D’Or, who is proven over the trip and who is due a win after a couple of recent runner-up near misses here over the last month, most recently beaten by just a neck 17 days ago.
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In that same race, Pallas Lord was a couple of places further back in fourth spot, which halted an impressive six-race sequence (212111) since the turn of the year, with all of those runs at this venue and one of the wins over this very trip.
Donald Whillans’ six-year-old was back here again a week ago, when he bounced back to finish runner-up of ten runners under Archie Young’s seven-pound claim, albeit further adrift of the winner (2.25 lengths) than he had been when finishing fourth in that previous effort (1.9 lengths).
The return of Jason Hart to the saddle will increase Pallas Lord’s burden, but he will line up on level terms with Saisons D’Or (he was a pound worse off when they last met), and is expected to give another good account of himself at his favourite venue.
Suggested best bet: Pallas Lord in the 18:30 at Newcastle
- Tip advised by Seventh Heaven Horse Racing on Tipstrr
