Daily Dabble, 21st June 2013

Daily Dabble: 21/06/13

Daily Dabble, 21st June 2013

Close, but no cigar was the story last night, as both runners were unplaced but much nearer to success than the bare results would have you believe. Firstly, Speedyfix finished last of nine runners, yet was only three lengths behind the winner and two lengths out of the places in a really tight finish, whilst our second runner Reginald Claude fared little better.

He was held up for a little too long for my liking and despite staying on to finish strongly ended up back in 6th of 10 runners. Just as a half hour earlier, this one was very close to making some money at just a length away from the places and 2.25 lengths shy of the eventual winner.

Nevertheless, it was a blank day for us and we try again today with two very contrasting races from either side of the Irish Sea, kicking off with the…

3.05 Ascot

Battle of Marengo is virtually nailed on to take this, or so we’re told. Whether he does or he doesn’t, I can’t back him at below even money. He comes here after finishing 4th in the Derby and may not be as fresh as some of his rivals. This tends to be the case, as only one Derby runner has gone on to win this race in the last ten years (Papal Bull in 2006). With that in mind, I’m going to oppose the favourite with Contributer, who we can back at odds as long as 14/1 in places, offering great value for the places. He’s a progressive type and looks capable of further improvement and wasn’t disgraced in defeat to Magician at Chester in May. The race is obviously the favourite’s to lose, but I really fancy our chances of at least making the frame today.

8.00 Limerick

It is expected that Papaya will come on greatly from her debut run at Dundalk where she showed some promise for John Oxx. Her breeding suggests she’ll be a decent sort in time, as she’s out of Teofilio and a half-sister to some good horses including Lend A Hand and Emirates Champion. Whether she’ll be as good as either of those, time will tell, but this race is nowhere near that standard anyway. She was sixth on debut over a mile and ran quite green that day, she steps up three furlongs today and it is expected that this trip will be far more to her liking based on the way she finished last time out. The presence of a short-priced favourite means we can get odds of up to 7/1 this evening in a race that her trainer has won four times in the last eight years.

The double pays a whopping 116/1 BOG today with Paddy Power, with the place element running at almost 21/2 (10.4/1)

Back Contributer & Papaya in an each way double with either of Paddy Power, the win part paying 116/1 (Best Odds Guaranteed)

***PS Don’t forget, you can find all today’s racecards right here!***