Andy Holding has two tips at big prices from Lyon-Parilly
10.40
A two-year-old claimer to kick off the card with very little form on offer, but of those who have had a run, Winvalchope and Dia De Muertos come out of a contest which looked above-average fror the grade at Chantilly 12 days ago (fourth won since). The former came out on top of the pair finishing one place ahead of her adversary in second and although she ended up getting beaten a fair way by the impressive Night Hunting, she was the only one able to offer any sort of resistance to the winner from the start. Clearly paying for those early exertions late on, the daughter of Kheylef still managed to keep on well enough to finish over a length clear of the rest and with the likelihood of more to come, her valuable experience is likely to become a huge factor. The latter stayed on best of the rest into third and although she has a bit to find with Winvalchope, it’s not beyond the realms of possibility she could turn around the form over an extra furlong. Either way, the daughter of Charm Spirit has a nice bit of scope, and the ability she has already shown might be enough to sway a fresh set of connections to put in a post-race claim.
Imperatorio showed bright speed before being picked off late on by two late-comers at Durtal on his debut and that valuable experience is bound to stand him in good stead. Now dropped into claiming company, the grey son of Morandi has to be considered a serious player. Key Speed showed up prominently on debut over today’s course before fading over a furlong out and it remains to be seen whether she has the scope to make the grade. Always In My Head is the most interesting of the two newcomers hailing from a yard in splendid form at present and he’s one to keep an eye on in the market. The employment of a visor at the first time of asking, however, is a little worrying, so you wouldn’t necessarily want to be wading in at a short price unless you are privy to some inside knowledge.
12.50
A decent field assembled for this four-year-old handicap with many arriving here on top of their game following victories last time out. Of those, Souveraine Elusive is a must for the shortlist having won three of her last four starts and as the latter of her wins came as recently as March, her wellbeing shouldn’t be called into question. Seemingly an improved performer since upped in trip, the daughter of Evasive also appears to have a decent attitude to match her ability and a big run looks on the cards.
Deacon has usual visors replaced by blinkers despite winning in tidy fashion at Lyon La Soie last time out and he looks another major contender even allowed for the rather odd headgear switch. A confirmed front runner who stays beyond today’s trip, expect another forceful ride from this consistent son of Dansili.
Bellariva is another for whom front running tactics were seen to good effect last time out and she look sure to give a good account based on her upwardly-mobile profile. Although her long, raking stride is arguably better suited by the all-weather, as the form book suggests, she did run well when runner-up on the turf at Cagnes-Sur-Mer two starts ago, so it could be dangerous to pigeonhole her too vehemently.
On the same card as Souveraine Elusive took a competitive 1m4f handicap, ROYALIST (best price 11-1) and BRIGHT CRESCENT (best price 28-1) took part in a similarly big-field handicap and there is a school of thought the form of that race 71 days ago is at least up to the same level, if not a little stronger. Just based on the overall times of the two races in question and the standard of the horses in each heat, there is plenty of substance behind that argument, so if using that theory as a guide, the fourth and the sixth respectively have to be afforded maximum respect.
The former came out the better of the placings behind the impressive 33-1 winner, Anecdotic, and it was a performance that went some way to prove he stays 1m4f soundly enough in a well-run affair. Prior to that noteworthy effort, the son of Intello had run out a comfortable winner of a handicap at Cagnes-Sur-Mer 52 days earlier and just to add an extra layer to his overall claims, it’s also worth noting he has strong form over today’s course courtesy of a ready victory on heavy ground back in November.
Although the latter has a little to find on the strict details of the form from the Paris-based track, the Sea The Moon filly was noted as being slightly unlucky. Not getting the gaps at the most crucial stages of the race, the four-year-old picked up well enough once out in the clear to suggest she would have gone a good deal closer with a smoother passage and that is one of the main reasons why she looks overpriced here this afternoon. Moreover, other than one poor run on the all-weather – which she clearly hates (0-6 on the synthetics) – she’s won three of her previous four races outside of claiming company and, as she’s also proven on goodish ground, today’s conditions over her optimum trip make her a fair bet at 28-1.
Of the rest, Plateado is a lightly-raced and improving type for whom the blinkers are employed for the first time, while Creative and Rostylla have a little to find based on their previous form lines with Deacon and Bellariva respectively.
