Sand Stormers: Will Incomparable prove peerless at Southwell?

Sand Stormers / Paul Smith / 10 January 2012 / 2 Comments

Southwell is the venue for Paul Smith's bet of the week on Thursday.

"Yes, he [Glastonberry] was well placed in that he was never too far off the pace in a race in which little got into it from behind, but he was also racing closest to the stands’ rail in the straight and that wouldn’t have been an advantage....."

A disappointing reverse last weekend but Paul Smith has one lined up for Southwell on Thursday in the latest instalment of his All Weather column.

Strength in the betting isn't the be all and end all but there are times when you see a horse drift and fear the worst - that was certainly the case at Lingfield on Saturday for supporters of Picansort and having been easy to back, he missed the break and was always fighting a losing battle from that moment.

The promise of his previous outing - when he was notably strong in the betting - is still fresh in the memory though and with plenty more opportunities for him in the ongoing Blue Square Sprint Series, he is retained, albeit without the same level of confidence that accompanied Saturday's run.

It was still quite an informative event, even allowing for Picansort's tame effort, and both Glastonberry and Steelcut have been added to the horses-to-follow list.

The former is a lightly raced sprinter who ran as well as he ever has to take third and he is still open to a bit of improvement. Yes, he was well placed in that he was never too far off the pace in a race in which little got into it from behind, but he was also racing closest to the stands' rail in the straight and that wouldn't have been an advantage.

I must confess to knowing very little about his trainer Geoffrey Deacon but he has a promising sprinter on his hands here and can be placed to advantage in the coming weeks.

Steelcut is a much more exposed beast but he is in form, on a good mark and did best of those held up in the same race. He had previously been below par at Lingfield but he wasn't beaten by the track here and he can win a similar event run at a stronger pace.

While on the subject of the Blue Square Sprint Series, the sponsors still go 4/1 (1/4 1,2,3) about David Evans retaining the trainers' competition. It isn't quite as glitzy as the 6/1 he was before leg one, but he is going to have numerous runners in the next few weeks and it is hard to believe he won't finish in the top three - as low-risk each-way bets go, this is not to be sniffed at.

The other addition to the list this week is La Capriosa, who did well to last as long as she did in a strongly run race over 6f at Southwell on Sunday.

She has won over that trip in the distant past but she is much better known for her exploits over 5f these days and, after a winless 2011, she looks ready to end her drought.

She handles Polytrack but Fibresand is her bag and she ought to be able to find a 5f event, preferably a 0-70 (or better still a 0-65 if the handicapper drops her a pound), in the coming weeks.

It looks like a quiet week on the horses to follow front - Kames Park has a couple of entries and is still in form, but the main action looks to centre around Incomparable (12.55 Southwell, Thursday).

Scott Dixon's charge drops back to 5f on Fibresand for the first time this winter and it looks sure to see him in a better light. Admittedly he was well behind Upper Lambourn last time but he was prominent there in a race that was very strongly run and didn't get home.

Soopacal will be a notable opponent in this field but you can't shy away from one horse and Incomparable looks well worth an interest under his optimum conditions.

Sand Stormers NAP
Incomparable 12.55 Southwell, Thursday

LIST OF HORSES TO FOLLOW
Aiaam Al Wafa (likely big improver when switched to handicaps (27/10))
Adorable Choice (underrated filly who did well to last as long as she did at Newbury (21/10))
Bond Fastrac (still well handicapped on old form and good second at Nottingham (11/10))
Clear Praise (promising return from a break (8/12))
Even Stevens (looked Fibresand monster (22/3))
Flag Of Glory (shaped nicely on first run for Peter Hiatt (27/10); can do better)
Forever's Girl (best of those held up (10/11), return to 6f, Polytrack a plus)
George Guru (lightly raced and still on the up; poor draw (2/11))
Glastonberry (stuck to the inside (7/1) and still open to improvement)
Global Village (did well to make up as much ground as he did (2/1))
Greek Islands (looked worth upping in trip (12/10))
Incomparable (looks ready to strike when dropped back to 5f)
Intransigent (related to smart AW performer and promise on debut (10/10))
Kames Park (no chance the way he was ridden in slowly run race (12/10))
La Capriosa (forced an overly strong pace over the wrong trip (8/1))
Picansort (met trouble in running at a crucial stage on reappearance (17/12))
Priestley's Reward (ran best race so far when second on All Weather debut (22/10))
Steelcut (best of those held up at Lingfield (7/1))
Wrapped Up (no chance from a wide draw last time (18/11); still unexposed)

Comments (2)

1. paul fairminer | 11 January 2012

   hi
   what do the numbers mean after the horses?

2. Nass | 11 January 2012

   Paul,
   The date they were spotted. I like tomorrows Sand Stormer, I like it a lot.