Ultra consistent Tamagin set to burn off rivals in Ascot feature
A FIELD of twenty will go to post for tomorrow’s Willmott Dixon Bengough Memorial Stakes run over Ascot’s straight six furlongs and the draw, once again, looks sure to play a part. At the last Ascot meeting, all those drawn high seemed to hold the advantage and it is more than likely that those in double figure berths will once again have an edge tomorrow.
Triple Aspect, Mullein and Jimmy Styles are all well drawn leading fancies and warrant plenty of respect. However, I’m keen to stick with the mightily consistent and in-form TAMAGIN, who ran so well over course and distance last time. In fact, our selection has been in cracking form all summer and followed a neck second in the Great St Wilfrid by finishing fourth in the Hopeful Stakes, winning the Starlit Stakes at Goodwood and then finding only Sayif too good in the Diadem last time.
His latest run came in Group Two company and he proved that day that, when on song, he isn’t that far off the very best sprinters around. Tamagin’s performance at Ascot was actually better than it may appear on paper as he had to race on his own for most of the way and did well to finish as close as he did.
The Heritage Handicap thirty-five minutes later looks an extremely difficult puzzle to solve with Sir Michael Stoute’s CLASS IS CLASS once again heading the betting at a best- priced 5/1 with William Hill. However, the three-year-old has been a beaten favourite in all of his last three outings and is becoming a nightmare for punters. Yet, I do believe that he is probably still well handicapped and, as he doesn’t possess that many gears, will be suited by the step back up to 12 furlongs. His lack of tactical speed often gets him in to trouble and it may be worth looking to back him in-running on Betdaq when he’s fully off the bridle half a mile from home – there won’t be many finishing better up the home straight.
I’m also going to have a few quid on Michael Jarvis’s KINGS DESTINY at around the 14/1 mark. He seemed to get stuck in the mud at Haydock last time and I also feel he’ll appreciate this drop back to 12 furlongs. His trainer is in great nick and is a past master at landing these big handicap prizes.
If you cannot wait until tomorrow, then the best bet on today’s card looks to be the Richard Hannon trained MIRABELLA in Lingfield’s 2.20pm contest. The stable continues to send out winner after winner and the daughter of Motivator can build on a cracking debut at Kempton last month. She had plenty of really useful types in trouble early that day before being swallowed up and can go well today at a decent price.
The same stable send out BEAUMONT’S PARTY who looks really good each-way value against a Sir Michael Stoute trained hotpot in the opener. This well bred sort showed enough on his debut to suggest that he should take a hand in this and should be an each-way bet to nothing.
E/W POINTERS…
BEAUMONT’S PARTY 1.50pm Lingfield (Today)
MIRABELLA 2.20pm Lingfield (Today)
TAMAGIN 2.55pm Ascot (Tomorrow)
CLASS IS CLASS 3.30pm Ascot (Tomorrow)
KINGS DESTINY 3.30pm Ascot (Tomorrow)