Two races to weigh up from Newturf virtual racecourse on Friday evening, the Rousillon Derby, a 1000m sprint on the flat and the Kotkijet Hurdle over the jumps. Both look interesting from a betting perspective and so we shall see if we can’t highlight a double.
The ones to concentrate on in the Rousillon Derby appear to be those near the top of the race card. Conquistadores has two of the leading players in Zico de Sky and Myster de Sky. Both are undoubtedly talented sprinters and are likely to be well-supported in the market. I would be surprised if both of these weren’t involved in the finish but I shall be overlooking them on this occasion in favour of the Lakewood owned mare, Feisty Woman. Ideally, Feisty Woman may prefer it if conditions underfoot were a little quicker but she is a class act too having landed the Team Sprint Cup last term. She will be sporting the blinkers today though and that could be sufficient to swing the balance in her favour.
The Kotkijet Hurdle is a Grade 1 race for three year old horses which can be tricky at this time of the season as it comes at a point where most precocious types are reaching the end of their careers while late developing types are still progressing to a stage where they can assume control. I’m going to be banking on the precocious types getting one last spin of the wheel here, with the two to concentrate on being Virtuose Jam and Mogadishu. This pair have the strongest form on offer and I expect them to have the finish between them. I expect it to be a close-run thing as Virtuose Jam undoubtedly has good stamina but Mogadishu probably has the greater speed and can overcome the former in what promises to be an exciting finish. Add to this the fact that Mogadishu is likely to be better suited to ground conditions and this makes him the one I would want to be on.
The Ecurie Marlioz92 pair warrant respect but if there is one other in the field to upset the apple-cart, it could well be Jemchipsa Demonball and she is one to consider for a tricast.
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Feisty Woman (Rousillon Derby) to win, Mogadishu (Kotkijet Hurdle) to win, coupled with Virtuose Jam for a combination Exacta.
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