Saturday Racing: Pointing Out Two Bullet Selections
It is point-and-shoot time, with Yorkshire’s Beverly Racecourse staging its popular Beverley Bullet Sprint Stakes on Saturday. It is a contest won, for the past two years, by Tis Marvellous. Now nine years old, the best odds betting sites quote this veteran on 7/1 to complete a famous hat trick.
Out of form, seemingly regressive, and beaten by ten lengths or more in his last three outings, this former Group-2 winner may appear underpriced to many. However, we believe Tis Marvellous can belie his odds.
Tis Marvelous thrives at this time of year. Here he is pictured winning at Leicester in September 2020. ©GettyImages
The Clive Cox-trained horse was well beaten in his two outings before taking the 2022 Beverley Bullet. Vitally, he was then rated 109. The gelding now races off an 11-pound lower mark. It is his lowest rating since the end of his juvenile career.
But there is something about the Yorkshire venue and this time of year that Tis Marvellous loves. This admirable horse has won a race every season since 2018, and each victory came at the point when summer meets the beginning of autumn. It is no coincidence and more than a romantic notion that makes Tis Marvellous our headline Saturday selection.
Will Europe’s Hopes Down Rivals in Kentucky?
Kentucky Downs is a unique racetrack for American horse racing with a turf-only surface, rises and dips, its peculiar egg shape, and long dogleg straight. It is best compared to a venue like Catterick.
Of course, stateside runners are more used to running on dirt and a billiard table-flat mind-numbingly boring oval track. The American horses that race on grass typically have to do so on an extremely sharp ‘inner track’.
The stage is set for the @FanDuel Meet at Kentucky Downs 🤩
Racing kicks off tomorrow with a first post of 12:30 p.m. CT. Join us in person or tune in on @FanDuelTV! #TheFanDuelMeetatKD pic.twitter.com/6WuvJVujY4
— Kentucky Downs (@KYDownsRacing) August 31, 2023
As a result, horses visiting from Europe should hold an advantage. On Saturday night, that theory will be put to the test. Trainers Richard Hannon, Charlie Hills, and jockey Jamie Spencer are making the trip to Kentucky Downs, attempting to loot some of the massive prizemoney offered in two-stakes races.
What Can the Romans Do for Hills?
Hills saddles Ancient Rome in the Mint Millions Stakes. It is due off at 11.28 pm, and the race can be watched on Sky Sports Racing channel. The four-year-old is an intriguing contender. Initially trained in France, he was twice Group-1 placed as a juvenile but failed to win at three, and his form tapered off.
On his British debut – and first run for Charlie Hills – he defied 33/1 odds to land a big-field handicap at the Glorious Goodwood meeting. If he is truly back to his best, Ancient Rome could stake a claim on this $2 million race under Jamie Spencer.
Dhabab, last seen in March, goes for former British trainer Ed Vaughan in the same contest. This four-year-old made it into Listed company for John Gosden, but on his American debut, Dhabab appears to have a lot on his plate.
Danse Macabre Can Take the Biscuit
The 10.54 pm contest, the $500,000 to-the-winner Big Ass Fans Music City Stakes, is restricted to three-year-old fillies. Here, Spencer picks up the ride on the lightly-raced locally-trained Queen Picasso. Meanwhile, Richard Hannon employs the services of the French-born American naturalized rider, Florent Geroux, for his representative, Mammas Girl.
Eleventh in the 1000 Guineas at the start of the year, this filly has been handed some tough tasks since. A drop down to six-and-a-half furlongs may help Mammas Girl’s cause, but she raced just two weeks ago and cannot be described as being ‘in form’.
But there can be some success for the UK in this race with the former British-based jockey, Adam Beschizza, booked to ride our fancy, Danse Macabre. A comfortable winner of a valuable Churchill Downs turf contest on her most recent start, this lightly-raced filly has fared well in the draw and starts from gate 1.
Danse Macabre has been off the course since May, but three recent ‘breeze’ workouts at Churchill Downs suggest she is ready to stamp her authority on this 12-runner field. The Juddmonte-owned Accede may rival her in the betting. But untried on turf and stepping down in trip, she has questions to answer.
The Best Bets for Saturday
Tis Marvellous 2.40 pm Beverley
Danse Macabre 10.54 pm Kentucky Downs
