Sky Dogs Tips: Ballymac can hold on to be ace in Select pack

Sky Previews / Darrell Williams / 26 August 2010 / Leave a Comment

"The chance to run from trap one – where Ballymac Ace boasts a remarkable 8/9 record – is a huge factor in favour of Chris Allsopp’s charge. Admittedly stamina has to be a concern, and the 500m trip does worry me, but at around [6.0} he looks more than big enough to take a chance on"

Nottingham's Select Stakes - live on Sky Sports tonight - is undoubtedly the most significant one-off race of the year, and Darrell Williams reckons Ballymac Ace's stamina may just last out to take the prestigious prize.

Ballymac Ace has hardly fared well in previous big race finals in terms of his draw - the railer having overcome an awful trap five draw to win the Pall Mall, before very nearly getting up in the Classic at Sunderland from an equalling demanding trap four slot.

So the chance to run from trap one - where he can boast a remarkable 8/9 record - is a huge factor in favour of Chris Allsopp's charge. With a Nottingham record of three out of three, handling the track is also not a problem, even if he hasn't had a recent look round having contested the Monmore Gold Cup final last weekend.

Admittedly stamina has to be a concern, and the 500m trip does worry me, but at around [6.0} he looks more than big enough to take a chance on, especially as an early lead looks more than possible.

Blue Artisan, narrowly foiled in the Monmore final, had earlier beaten the selection in the semi-final of that competition, and the Gymcrack winner, already disputing favouritism for next year's Derby, is a high-class performer, capable of winning from any box. He looks the most likely winner, but with early paced Head Iton Ellis on his immediate outside, there's always the chance of a bump on the run up, especially if Ellis breaks as well as he did when winning the Sussex Cup final.

Of the other three runners Jordansoilutions - runner-up over CD in last year's Eclipse - runs the track well, and is far from impossible to fancy on his best recent form, but defending champion Windy Millar and outsider Target Classic face far stiffer tasks.

Midway Skipper has obvious claims of repeating her 2009 victory in the supporting Select Stayers (2125), although it's not a race I'd want to get too involved with too many potential winners in the line-up. Lorrys Options, unlucky in Monmore's 630 final the other day, is more than capable, while Beautiful City, despite not having raced since April, had won 10 of her previous 11 outings and must be respected.

Elsewhere, I take Vatican Seamus (1940) to poach a winning early lead in the British Bred race - a dual competition winner this season - he also has a 3-5 record at Nottingham.

Jimmy Lollie should bounce back to winning ways in the 2000, despite a shock defeat at Oxford, but don't discard Corby Don - winner of his last 5 over CD - for at least the forecast slot.

Boher Paddy (2015) can maintain his unbeaten record in the Puppy Cup - his sprint trials would have been good enough to have made him, competitive in the previous race.

I take Fabulous Mind to outpoint Ballymac Roger in the 2035, form behind Beautiful City in the spring looks key. Driving Up Ben can overcome a tricky draw in the 2050, while Droopys Joe, unbeaten over four bends at Nottingham, can maintain that sequence in the 2110.

Selections:
Ballymac Ace 2145
Droopys Joe 2110
Vatican Seamus 1940
Fabulous Mind 2035