Trainer, Sir Michael Stoute and owner, Prince Khaled Abdulla must have been bitterly disappointed to see another classic get away when Sea Moon failed to land the Doncaster St Leger, Saturday; jockey Olivier Peslier rode an injudicious race on the favourite, much to the delight of bookmakers. When it's necessary to pass cars on motorways the last place to be is in the inside lane, confronted by lorries and such like; that was the scenario facing Peslier as he was boxed in by the rails, nigh on last on nine. That's right.
It was a small field but Olivier managed to make a right horlicks.
Eventually, the chaff dropped away but a late run was far too late and Sea Moon finished third, behind Masked Marvel and Brown Panther, beaten just over three lengths. I'm convinced this Beat Hollow colt would have challenged the winner but for being too far back. We move on. That's history and the present is a bid by Busy Bimbo to gain a first-ever success, at the seventh attempt, in the seven-runner nursery over five furlongs at Musselburgh. Not surprisingly, Busy Bimbo was completely outclassed in a valuable six furlongs sales race at Newmarket won by Mehdi last month but her previous effort, in a strongly-run Thirsk maiden, would be good enough to put this Red Clubs bag on the premises.
Also, Neil Farley claims 5lbs apprentice allowance. Busy Bimbo is a speculative, good-priced, nap selection on a difficult day which features three afternoon meetings. No more turf fixtures until next May, as the "silly season" finished last week, thankfully. There's still too much racing, with too many moderate horses but the BHA simply refuses to accept the obvious decline of foals and reduce an over-bearing fixture list accordingly. Small fields are a turn off for punters but there seems to be more and more.
SELECTIONS
RACE 1 (#1) GO DUTCH
RACE 9 (#6) PARISIEN PRINCESS
RACE 17 (#2) SUNLEY VALENTINE (ew)
RACE 23 (#6) BUSY BIMBO (nap)
