 Nunthorpe Colts Sprint Final  1200m Dirt 28th March 2012 |
This Season's Contenders
| Horse : Oriental Express, Commander King, Moonlite Sky, Kenny's Army | Trainer : Sky Castle Stables |
In a race that is dictated by the draw, inside draws having a distinct advantage, you'd have to say that the yard have hit the jackpot with three of their four runners gifted a run of the rail. Oriental Express gets the plum draw but this one is better suited over further and could feature more in next terms Newbury. Fast ground will suit, even if the trip is a little on the short side. Commander King, looks similar in his make-up and should benefit from a longer sprint trip. He does have winning form over 1200m and like his stable mate before him, will show up best on fast ground. I would favour him to out perform Oriental Express. The muddy runner could be Moonlite Sky, he has some notable form over 1200m on the surface and should be able to make good use of his inside draw, unlike Kenny's Army, who, wider in the field, may struggle a bit to overcome a poor starting position. He does seem useful on the dirt with a bit of kick back but it is a tough ask in this race. Of the foursome, for me, it's Commander King on fast or Moonlite Sky on muddy.
| Horse : Quantum Zen | Trainer : Eire Stables |
This lad has been a busy body so far in his young career, taking in all manner of races. He would prefer muddy ground, despite some decent efforts on the fast goings. I just feel that this horse will need further to show his full potential, his better runs have come from 1400m and upwards. Despite this, he is positioned nicely and shouldn't be overlooked in this race and though he may not be a natural 1200m runner, there should be something in his tank to warrant a good show.
| Horse : Jesters Quicky | Trainer : Murrumba Downs |
A capable horse, who won't be put off too much by the going, though both his career qualifying wins have come on dirt. He is probably a more natural 1200m runner than those previously mentioned, which will contribute to his cause in this final. The draw has been kind and his yard will want him to make the most out of that. The one doubt I have about him is that most of his trials to get to this final came in second instance races but you can easily discard that when you view his most recent effort over course and distance behind Maslak.
| Horse : Boogie 2nite | Trainer : Steakpie |
His only winning form, leading to this final, has come on a surface, void of any give in the ground. That said, when it has come muddy, he has shown some consistency, which may indicate that he is just at home on either. The recent race that was won by Maslak, could be a vital clue as to the outcome of this race, also an early season trial won by Big Lad's Loaded is full of information. A versatile colt, Boogie 2nite will be relishing this test and he is a likely front runner in this race.
| Horse : Knockout Punch | Trainer : Shotgun Mike |
Knockout Punch, drawn midfield, is the sole representative from the Shotgun yard, an unusual scenario, as we are used to seeing a sea of green all too often. His auction price is a little deceiving, being part of a multiple horse lot, nevertheless, the package looks to have been a bargain at just under £100 a pop. He will rely on fast ground to entertain the masses to the highest degree, muddy will only serve to scupper his full potential but it wouldn't be too much of a heartache. If he can get clear of those around him, he might have a chance or he could just get swallowed up in midfield with no room for manoeuvre.
| Horse : Alexander Pushkin | Trainer : Vasya |
Another fast ground horse will represent Vasya in this race. He has gone about his business this season, without setting the world alight. I would put that down to misfortune rather than bad placement as he has always ran above his capabilities of the race outcome, random allocation can be cruel at times. Strangely though, his best qualifying runs over the trip have come on muddy but the form book can lie sometimes, those races were lesser quality and you'd have to say his eggs are all in one basket come race day, it's fast ground or plan for next season.
| Horse : Scar Face | Trainer : Squeaky Clean Stable |
As we move further down the race card, we approach the horses who have been extremely unlucky with the draw. Quality matters when drawn far from the rail and Scar Face seems to have class in abundance. One of the few natural 1200m runners in the race, he won't be bothered what the going is on the off, he loves the dirt. His owner will not like the draw but a win from this position in the race is not beyond him. In fact, I will stick my neck out and say he will make the frame. Apart from a bit of bad fortune in his last outing of the series over 1200m, he has been faultless. A look at his 1200m form on the dirt will tell you all you need to know about this horse. He is up there as one of the favourites, despite his bad early position.
| Horse : Regle Le Monde | Trainer : Glenloch |
He finished fourth in his juvenile championship race, behind Sir Spezial on yielding ground. That day, the race was run over 1400m but he won't be too inconvenienced by the drop in distance. However, he is going to have to step up on last season's effort if he is going to figure in the shake-up here. He is handicapped by his draw in this final and a blast from the stalls is his best hope for success. Despite some decent form when the chips are down, it is hard to fancy him here.
| Horse : Maslak | Trainer : Heinz |
If this horse was drawn nearer to the rail, I would be punting him as the potential champion. I know this horse is classy enough to handle 1200m in his stride but the negatives are plain to see. Last season he came a close second in the juvenile championship but the more I look at him, the more I get the impression we won't be seeing him winning this. He has won on both muddy and fast ground, which will serve him well, though his task in this race is very difficult and I think he is best watched.
| Horse : Best Terms | Trainer : Derekw10 |
Best Terms enjoys a race on the mud, more than he enjoys a race on the fast. He won't enjoy this race at all, well, his owner won't, even if his charge does come home with ears pricked, I can't see him winning this. There are better natural 1200m runners to his inner and not even all of Derek's enthusiasm for this game can change the fact he is drawn in the car park and his chance has gone.
| Horse : Speed Extreme | Trainer : Cobra Race Farm |
It is amazing how influential the draw can be in this game. Speed Extreme, demonstrates this quite well in his form book. Given the stall of doom in this race, it is difficult to be enthusiastic about the horses chance in this race but with fourteen possible outcomes, somebody has to be here I guess. He performs well on the dirt and a bit more fortune pre-race would have seen him do quite well, I think. However, coming out of stall fourteen is not good and if memory serves me right, I have never seen a challenge winner come from this berth and I don't think that statistic is about to change anytime soon.
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