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Saturday 27th June

The Irish Derby at the Curragh is the main highlight in terms of prestige today but the race looks wide-open and there are too many unknown factors for it to be an attractive betting proposition. It will tell us a lot more about the Epsom Derby next weekend but the advice would be to take a watching brief. Santiago has the best form but I'm not sure the drop in trip will suit. If the rain does arrive it might help him as the feeling is that he would need a true test at this trip to be seen to best effect. 

The Northumberland plate at Newcastle looks even more difficult with cases to be made for a number of runners. Alan King is 3 winners from 4 runners in races at 2m or more in the past fortnight and if pushed, his Rainbow Dreamer would be the tentative selection as it will be hard to see him out of the places (Paddy Power are offering 6 places). However, the selection for today comes from the 3.00 at Newcastle in the shape of Virgin Snow. When I looked at the card yesterday evening, I thought 4/1 was a huge price and obviously I wasn't the only one as she has almost halved in price overnight. Her handicap win (admittedly of a mark of 82) last time at Haydock, on just her third start could hardly have been more impressive. She is now officially rated 92 but I think she will definitely be much better than that and in receipt of 12lbs from her elders, it will take a big performance from one of them to get the better of her. She had decent form in a couple of races at two, including behind Run Wild in a Kempton novice that has worked out really well. This daughter of Snow Fairy was always going to improve with age and I think she could be a potential Group 1 filly later in the year. If that is to be the case, she must go close here and while the value has been snapped up, she is still the clear standout on a difficult day.

1 pt win Virgin Snow (9/4 General) Newcastle 3.00 *use BOG firms

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