Kyllukey will be a tough nut to crack if able to replicate his latest effort in the 2-y-o Maiden Stakes over six furlongs of 'good to soft' Windsor today when running in tandem will be another eight-race turf-flat programme on a similar surface at Salisbury.
It's the 'back-end' and a period which most 'professionals' swerve in favour of a 'new' jumping season, why?
At this juncture there is little worthwhile recent NH form analysis, it's a guessing game as to which yards are in form and it will be another month before the 'fashionable' yards slot into rhythm; Henderson, Nicholls, O'Neill etc have all admitted it's a long season and no buttons will be pressed until the 2015/16 campaign gets under way with a series of high-profile meetings.
We're looking forward to engaging them, in the meantime with months of reliable time-handicap form computed to ultimate satisfaction it's all about sifting through decent-sized flat fields and finding opportunities like Kyllukey from the now in-form yard of Charles Hills; it's about time!
Over a period of more than ELEVEN MONTHS Hills has managed just over sixty winners from a string of nigh on 150; the main players are 200-plus!
Fortunately a string of high-profile winners have 'saved face' for Charles but a fortnight ago we mentioned that his yard was about to take a turn of fortunes; unfortunately he runs too many in the 'wrong' races and at times one wonders if he could place the last piece in a jigsaw!
Nowadays Hills seems to adopt a policy of 'slinging a load of mud at the wall and hoping it will stick' but Kyllukey certainly should pay to follow; that second in a nursery at Ripon last month represented tremendous improvement on anything achieved in four previous outings.
Experience of racing in handicaps is invaluable, as so often mentioned, and Kyllukey is napped with a deal of confidence under regular veteran jockey, Steve Drowne. What beats them will win!
Incidentally this 'back-end' period involves tremendous concentration, not to mention time, with huge fields; good, recent, form is key and down the years we've cleaned up because prices are usually much bigger with bookies 'fielding' in an attempt to attract business.
Backing short-priced selections is like playing 'snakes and ladders' and so, from now on, I'll never bet less than 3/1 again; play the patience game readers and follow our daily patent* through thick and thin.
SELECTIONS
9.50 White Shaheen
10.20 The Juggler
10.00 Kyllukey