Steve Ryder has three fancies at Kempton on Monday — a well-bred outsider in the opener, a rock-solid Gosden runner back on the AW, and a fresh face who could strike on stable debut.
Tip 1: 13:30 Kempton - Elegant Jo Jo - 0.5pt ew
This field is well of well bred newcomers but I am willing to take a chance that ELEGANT JO JO (best priced at 20/1) can step forward from her debut effort. She cost 205,000gns at the sales and was sent off only 6/4 on her debut at Carlisle in August when 5th of 6 over 7f.
The Karl Burke stable have had a fantastic year with two-year-olds 62-232 26% strike rate and they are still operating at a 38% strike rate overall in the past fortnight. She showed good early promise on her debut so she is well drawn to get a good position from Stall 3 and could outrun her odds at the prices.
Tip 2: 15:00 Kempton - Shader - 1pt
It will be interesting to see how West Wind Blows runs on his first start for 723 days but preference instead goes to SHADER (best priced at 9/4) who is unbeaten on the AW. John & Thady Gosden have won this race for the previous two season with Military Academy and Lion’s Pride and also in 2016 with Western Hymn.
Midnite
Shader finished a close 3rd at Haydock on his reappearance in May off a mark of 99 and the form of that run has been boosted since. The 4th Lieber Power won at Newbury and is now rated 6lbs higher and the 5th Naqeeb finished 3rd behind Breeders’ Cup winner Ethical Diamond at Royal Ascot and won a listed race at Goodwood last time and is now rated 7lbs higher. Shader runs here off only 1lb higher and should prove hard to beat after a 156 day break.
Tip 3: 16:00 Kempton - Troy Story - 0.5pt ew
This looks a weak 0-75 handicap and a chance is taken on TROY STORY (best priced at 13/2) on his stable debut for Eve Johnson Houghton. The three-year-old finished a neck 2nd in a nursery handicap here last season off a mark of 76 prior to being gelded over the winter.
Troy Story has run with credit on his four starts this season but has dropped from a mark of 78 to 70 as a result of being beaten in all of those runs but he crucially now drops back down in trip to 7f for the first time since his career best effort at this track. He has been off 103 days but can get off the mark for his new trainer.
