Events / Graham Cunningham / 14 August 2009 /

Forget the PGA golf in Minnesota, the World Athletics Championships in Berlin and the return of the Premiership. Well, alright, don't forget them, but do keep an eye on the racing at Newbury and Ripon, too. Racing UK analyst Graham Cunningham assesses the best of the weekend action and looks ahead to what promises to be a thunderous week on the Knavesmire at York.

Saturday wouldn't be Saturday without a big bookmaker-sponsored sprint handicap.

And a few points stand out as regards this weekend's Great St Wilfrid at Ripon.

First, those drawn middle to high on the far side have dominated in recent years.

Second, most of the speed horses in this renewal - namely Tamagin, Striking Spirit and Valery Borzov - are drawn right against the stand rail.

Third, with Ruth Carr enjoying such a tremendous summer it seems more than reasonable to expect a bold effort from Excusez Moi as he bids to repeat his 2006 win in this race.

And fourth, even a return to that form might see him playing second fiddle to Henry Candy's much-improved sprinter Markab.

Granted, making excuses for beaten horses can be a costly pastime, but Markab caught the eye showing brazen speed while racing alone on the near side in the Wokingham at Royal Ascot and looked a big winner waiting to happen again when fourth in the Stewards' Cup two weeks ago.

A pea souper made viewing at Goodwood difficult, but Markab caught the eye travelling with impressive power for a long way and gave the impression he would have gone very close indeed had he not lost ground by drifting right.

That tendency means the 6-y-o will probably be allowed to edge towards the far side here, but it's all about price in a race like this.

And, for what it's worth, I suspect Markab - who had Valery Borzov, Striking Spirit, Jimmy Styles and Genki behind him with no obvious excuses at Goodwood - represents very good win and place value at [6.0] or thereabouts.

The attack of the killer blobs may sound like a good name for a schlock horror movie, but in reality it relates to the increasing tendency for big races to be accompanied by a dirty black dot next to the name of a runner which signifies that the beast in question will only run if ground conditions are suitable.

No fewer than eight horses in Newbury's feature events are the subject of blobbage this Saturday, but Godolphin's Kite Wood and Evasive will surely go well if they take their chances the Geoffrey Freer Stakes (2.35) and the Hungerford Stakes (3.10).

Recent signs suggest the good middle distance three-year-olds compare very well to their older counterparts and, having come up short in the Dante and the Derby, Kite Wood looked firmly back on track when running out the emphatic winner of a Group 3 contest at Newmarket last month.

His St Leger claims will be bruised if he can't go very close here, but I suspect he's up to the job and a small win bet with a bigger stake to place looks the safe way of getting with him this weekend.

It's safe to assume there were at least six zeros on the cheque that changed hands when Sheikh Mohammed bought Evasive from Cheveley Park earlier this year.

And it's fairly safe to assume that this unexposed chestnut is more than good enough to have a major say in the Hungerford.

Granted, this is no "gimme" given the presence of numerous smart older horses and potential improvers like Palace Moon and Border Patrol.

However, Evasive caught the eye travelling powerfully for a long way in a high-quality 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket in May and looked the type to be well suited by a step down in distance again when fourth in Mastercraftsman's St James's Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot.

In short, Evasive looks potentially too good for this lot and, with Godolphin's recent form an added plus, everything looks in place for him to take a deal of beating.

If nothing else, Kieren Fallon's decision to have a pop at me for some comments made on RUK last Saturday made me do something I haven't done for many years.

And, having shelled out £2.40 for the Racing Post Weekender, it came as no surprise to see "The biggest column in racing" contained a crucial flaw as regards my views about Tom Dascombe's link with Michael Owen and Andrew Black.

Of course, it would be wrong to suggest Fallon's flak was in any way linked to the fact that I took the mickey out of his recent charm offensive in last week's blog.

And it would be equally remiss to blame Kieren alone for factual errors in copy given that his ghost writer John O'Hara - who has played Baldrick to Fallon's Blackadder for some years now - is ultimately responsible for putting the piece together.

However, it's still worth pointing out that I have never "rubbished Tom Dascombe's belief that he could be number one among the training ranks in five years."

And the reason I haven't done so is purely because it was the highly optimistic Owen - and not the more grounded Dascombe - who made that wildly ambitious claim.

It was also interesting to note that Fallon (or was it O'Hara?) also declined to name my RUK colleague on the Haydock broadcast, merely describing it as "a conversation with a female presenter."

For the record, the female presenter was Lydia Hislop, who has more journalistic ability in her little finger than most ageing ghosts.

And as for the tired old question of whether I have "ridden in races, or trained a few winners?"

As it happens, I have never trained a racehorse or ridden a racehorse. Then again, I have never been dragged off a racehorse - but I'm pretty sure it would hurt if I was.

For what it's worth, the recent pictures of Fallon suggest he might well return to the saddle next month healthier and fitter than he has been for years. He has the potential to be much more than the panto villain he has become in recent years.

And, if nothing else, his staunch defence of Dascombe and company should at least ensure a ride or two in the Owen colours.

This time last year we were looking forward to an Ebor Festival only to be thwarted by the sort of deluge last seen just after Noah built his Ark.

But 12 months on next week's four-day meeting at York has all the makings of a crackerjack.

I sincerely hope I was wrong in suspecting that John Oxx may not be averse to missing Tuesday's International Stakes with Sea The Stars.

This season's flagship colt would be a huge loss to the meeting if heavy rain arrives, but if he does run it is worth remembering that even the mighty Brigadier Gerard was humbled for the only time in his career in this race back in 1972.

Having stepped in to take 20, 19 and 18 I'm hoping Warringah will be a major player in Wednesday's Ebor, while Sariska and the rejuvenated Kingsgate Native will be regarded as banker material by many in the Yorkshire Oaks and the Nunthorpe later in the week.

I'll be writing a daily blog for betting@betfair.com in the hope of chiselling out a few value angles. In the meantime, have a successful weekend.

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