Homesick Boy
Good afternoon from Newmarket. After a blank day yesterday we are back in action with runners at three different meetings today.
We get underway with Homesick Boy in the 4.05 at Brighton, a mile and a half 0-70 handicap. Having earned a rating of 66 following his three runs as a juvenile, there was a bit of promise in his return at Yarmouth and definite promise in his third over this trip at Beverley on easy ground in May. A quick reappearance at Salisbury proved bitterly disappointing, though what we learned that day was that he definitely does not appreciate quick ground.
So we have been watching the weather closely of late, and thankfully it seems that enough has fallen at Brighton to allow us to take our chance this afternoon. It is a competitive race and it is hard to gauge whether he will act on the track, but this horse isn’t dreadfully handicapped on 61 and I would hope to see more encouragement returned to this sort of surface. Fingers crossed for a good showing.
Our second runner is Grandscape in the 5.55 at Goodwood, a mile and a furlong 0-80 amateur riders handicap. His poor rider Sophie Smith has been stuck in exams all morning, and I am sure riding in a race will be a blessed relief!
Sophie and Grandcsape have built up a good partnership since being partnered together in the second half of last season, and they were impressive winners over a mile and a quarter on soft ground at Redcar last October. They face a similar test today, as Goodwood has been lashed with rain all day and the going is now officially good to soft, good in places, although there is a lingering concern that this mile and a furlong test will be too sharp. Grandscape does stay a mile and three-quarters after all, but he is a very versatile sort and hopefully he can go well again.
Our final runner comes shortly after in the 6.10 at Bath, as Rainbow Spirit tries to break her duck in the mile and three-quarter 0-60 three-year-old handicap. The rain has eased the ground a fraction to good to firm, firm places – having been firm this morning – but we hope that it won’t get much softer as this filly appeared to resent deep ground at Nottingham last time out. She is stoutly-bred, and her sibling Imphal is a three-time winner at this track on fast ground.
So there are tentative reasons for hoping that we will see an improved display this evening, but we really need to as her comeback was not particularly inspiring. However, she seems to have done well physically from two to three and I am hoping we will learn plenty more about her today. Tom Queally takes the mount.
All the best,
Ed.