Southwell - 2nd Dec 2006

2:10 1m 4f - Arena Leisure plc Handicap (Class 3)

The manner that Velvet Heights hacked up last time I can see why he’s the jolly this time around. A legitimate favourite on my analysis (at a short price), normally I would pass the race and move on, however the Huey Morrison runner Kylkenny really caught my eye.

With doubts about most of the runners (outclassed, preference for polytrack or distance concerns) his 6/5/15 win/place/run record is outstanding. With no distance concerns and on a winning BHB mark, Kilkenny is the only stable representative at a course where Huey does extremely well. At the prices I’m taking this as positive sign for a place position, hell he might even win so a small each-way play today.

2:45 1m - southwell-racecourse.co.uk Handicap (Class 2)

A contentious race and if the over night prices are anything to go by, my tissue may be screwed up which might mean I’ll need to add some bacon for that egg on my face.

9/2 Freeloader, 5/1 Nevada Desert, Gentleman’s Deal, 15/2 Kamanda Laugh, Byron Bay, 7/1 Grey Boy, 16/1 Wessex, Langford, 33/1 Paraguay

Kamanda Laugh has a 63-day course absence to overcome and seems to be at his best on straight tracks. His trainer has a good A/W record so I’m taking the view that if Kamanda Laugh had any ability for all-weather racing he would have taken the opportunity to contest in some of the higher graded handicaps on either polytrack or fibresand by now.

Nevada Desert is well rated but poorly drawn, so its Freeloader who is noted as “ready to win” although I’m trusting in statistics as a pointer to his ability on fibresand. Gentleman´s Deal does not know how to run a bad race on the all-weather. Having watched his Southwell win, he ability to accelerate on this surface might be telling as he sits just behind the pace set by Freeloader and Kamanda Laugh.

However due to the contentiousness of the race and his short price he is passed over today.