Today's Racing - 17th April 2013

The golden period of the horse racing season is now. In just two months, we will have had all three Guineas meetings, the Derby, Royal Ascot, and the Kentucky Derby, while just next week the jumps season in Ireland comes to the end with some magnificent racing at Punchestown. The perplexing nature of British scheduling means that the flat has been going for more than two weeks now, but today’s Craven meeting signals the real start of proper racing on the level, with significant Guineas trials both being run over the next two days. The trend in recent times has been for the main favorites to go straight towards to the Guineas, but the Nell Gwyn (4.05) is still one of the strongest remaining trials for the Guineas and today’s renewal should at least shed some light upon what’s looking to be a a very open renewal. Sky Lantern, so impressive when winning the Moyglare Stud Stakes last year and then so unlucky at the Breeders’ Cup, has a standout chance on form even giving 3lbs to the rest of the field and is an obvious choice, although giving 3lbs to Nargys and Winning Express will not be easy, with preference for Ed McMahon’s charge who looked as if she would have more to offer not only for experience, but a step up in trip when a good second in last year’s Cheverly Park stakes.

Still green when chasing down Rohsdhu Green but failing to get past – no shame considering that the winner had won the Lowther beforehand – she may improve on just her fourth start and while some might worry about the trip on pedigree, she running style suggests she’d be just as likely to enjoy the extra furlong as any in this field. Nargys was finishing fast in the Rockfel Stakes having been stuck behind a wall of horses when she wanted to make a challenge, and is sure to make appeal for many along with the exciting Lady Nouf and Hot Snap, but there seems to be no reason why she should be two points shorter than our selection. Whoever wins, they'll have to go some to beat What A Name, who didn't enjoy the heavy ground but was still best of the rest behind Olympic Glory - arguably the second best 2 year old of last season - in the Prix Jean Luc at Longchamp, and made an excellent reappearance when making up late ground hand over fist to win the Prix Imprudence despite a poor run through and slow pace. With improvement for that a plenty, she is the best ante post bet at 7/1.

Over at Cheltenham, the main form question is that of whether 33 days is enough to recover from the exertions of the Cheltenham Festival, although that issue is non-existent – unless you fancy Easter Meteor – in the Macmillan Cancer Support Silver Trophy Chase(3.55), where one of racing’s most popular horses in Hunt Ball attempts to land another deserved big prize in what’s the race of the day at the track. The best form comes courtesy of Menorah’s second in the Betfair Bowl at Aintree, but he’s not had long to recover since and whether he likes this track is debateable. Both him and Ghizao were pulled up in the Ryanair, and with Paul Nicholls’s charge well over a stone well in at the weights at the ratings and four times the price of worthy favourite Champion Court, he looks to be the value in this race as while he’s not a Grade 1 horse, he has got the ability to take an event like this when all falls right.

Nicholls may have a big handicap in the bag before even then, if his Edgardo Sol enjoys the better ground he’ll face here than at the Festival when sixth, staying on from off the pace, in the County Hurdle, and a t 15/2, he’s worth a chance.

Advice

1 pt each/way Winning Express, 4.05 Newmarket, (8/1 general)

1 pt each/way Edgardo Sol, 3.20 Cheltenham (8/1 888Sport, 7/1 general)

1 pt win Ghizao, 3.55 Cheltenham (15/2 BetVictor, Hills)


Ante-Post 

1 pt win, 1 pt each/way What A Name, 1,000 Guineas (7/1 general)