Racing Nerd

 It looks an excellent card at Naas tomorrow with something for everyone. I believe we may even see a Royal Ascot winner throughout the day. I will be keeping a particularly close eye on Aidan O Brien's Caravaggio filly Contarelli Chapel who looked the real deal on her debut three weeks ago. From a betting point of view, it is the Group 3 6f contest for three-year-old's, that has grabbed my attention. I am willing to forgive A Case Of You a poor effort last time and I think we are getting a couple of points on his price as a result. In fairness, based on that run, he should be 10/1 but surely that was too bad to be true. Prior to that he looked better than a Group 3 performer, particularly at Dundalk on his reappearance comfortably disposing of Logo Hunter and Mooneista despite giving them 5lb and 10lb respectively. That form was franked a couple of times since. The selection also got the better of current market rival Lipizzaner at the Curragh last season. If he shows his true

 The handicaps under a mile this week at York have seen an unusual trend develop. On Wednesday, Mr Lupton at the ripe old age of eight won the 6f handicap. Thursday was the turn of seven-year-olds Copper Knight and Kynren to win their respective handicaps. I am hoping the trend of older horses continues and I am willing to give Muntadab another chance. He was a winner for the blog last July and ran an eye-catching race two starts ago when selected again at Musselburgh. Similar comments apply as he is looking really well handicapped once again. He is certainly not the force of old but he won off a mark of 87 at Epsom and has actually been dropped 2lb since the Musselburgh run off 80. While yet to win at York from four attempts, he has posted three cracking efforts in defeat. In particular, his only try at his preferred 7f trip, when he was third off a mark of 100. He has a neck second off 97 over 6f too adding further substance to his liking around here. Those runs were three and four y

Having suggested backing Easy Game to win the Grade Two contest at Fairyhouse on Irish Grand National Day at a shorter price, I cannot resist putting him forward to win a cracking contest at Killarney. While at risk of repeating myself, the key to this horse is getting his optimum conditions, two and a half miles on decent ground, which he should get here again. He took his form figures when granted those conditions over fences to 121121 with his Fairyhouse win. The two defeats coming at the hands of Faugheen in an epic renewal of the Grade 1 Flogas at Leopardstown and a respectable effort behind a fresh Battleoverdoyen at Down Royal. In the latter contest, he had Samcro a neck back in third and they are weighted the same in this contest. While there are some showers forecast, soft ground would be fine and unless the weather is completely wrong, it is hard to envisage it getting any worse than that. It was actually officially soft ground when he beat Allaho over this sort of trip at Le