Connect with us

RACECARDS

The Mandarin’s Sunday Selections for 13th October 2024

The Mandarin’s Sunday Selections from Sha Tin & Goodwood

Sha Tin

Sha Tin Trophy (Group 2 Handicap) 09.10
Beauty Eternal (nap)
The season in Hong Kong is well under way now, with the first of the Group races at Sha Tin on Sunday morning. Last year’s third, Beauty Eternal, can go two places better with a win here, especially with last year’s winner, California Spangle not in the line-up. Johnny Size’s latest stable star couldn’t reel in California Spangle in 2023, but is a year older and a year wiser now. Zac Purton knows how to get the job done on his home track, so should be serving it up to Voyage Bubble and Beauty Joy, with Galaxy Patch the each-way angle. Beauty Eternal to make a winning start to this season.

Goodwood

William Hill/British EBF Restricted Novice Stakes 2.25
Qetaifan
This Restricted Novice Stakes race can go to Andrew Balding’s Qetaifan. This Starspangledbanner colt broke the maiden tag when scoring well at Chester under Jason Watson, who did well to get close to the leader out of the stalls so he didn’t have to run too wide on the Roodee. Oisin Murphy takes up the reins now, and does have work to do from stall 7, but Qetaifan won’t be minding this deep ground and he looks the one to beat. Eve Johnson Houghton does well with her two year olds, so Wicket Keeper looks the obvious danger, but is untried on this surface. Qetaifan to go in.

William Hill Offers Proper Prices Handicap 3.00
Baldomero
Course form could count for plenty here as Baldomero drops in grade to a Class 3, after a win at Doncaster last month, before a sixth in a blanket finish at Ripon last time out. With a favoured inside draw and plenty of cut in the ground after Saturday’s rain, every chance of a return to winning ways for Mick Appleby’s Shalaa gelding. Roger Teal’s Alcazan lines up here in good form, but she’s unraced on ground this deep, so Jamie Osborne’s Wodao may prove the bigger threat. Baldomero to score in this grade, with the stars aligning considering the going and the inside draw.

Irish Stallion Farms EBF Nursery 3.35
Tactical Plan (nb)
This Nursery can go to Ed Dunlop’s Tactical Plan, who can go one better than in the Haydock Park Nursery he was last seen in, a 1 length second to Karl Burke’s Our Mighty Mo. If he can replicate the form that saw him land a Class 2 maiden at Chester last month, he’ll be hard to beat here. Supercool Jim Crowley up top, and sure to give it a good go on a track to suit.

Goodwood Racehorse Owners Group EBF Novice Stakes 4.10
Castle Gates
Saeed Bin Suroor can take this with Castle Gates, who showed enough on his second start under rules at Bath to get the vote here. He was just three-quarters of a length behind a George Boughey odds-on shot in that Novice Stakes, well clear of the rest of the field and coping well with the soft ground. Ed Walker has an interesting debutante in Ashdown Forest, with Tom Marquand booked for the trip and the inside draw, so these two look the likely types, along with the Ghaiyyath sired The Pouncing Lion. Racing experience and Oisin Murphy in charge gets Castle Gates the nudge.

The Mandarin

Advertisement alternative_text
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *