RaceiQ Lead Analyst Page Fuller advised a 20-1 winner last week and is back with a selection at both Market Rasen and The Curragh this Saturday. There's high-quality action on both the Flat and over Jumps this weekend, with the best of the Flat racing coming at The Curragh, where there are three Group races on Saturday's card.
Mgheera is back in action in the Sapphire Stakes (3.05). She'd already enjoyed a successful career in France with a Listed victory and several notable efforts at Group level, but since she was snapped up by her current connections, her form has risen to a different level.
She was an impressive Group Three winner on her first start for Ed Walker at Longchamp and then landed the Group Two Temple Stakes at Haydock on her British debut. What was particularly eye-catching that day was how much she appeared to have in hand.
Her 0-20mph time of 2.83 seconds from the stalls was the joint-slowest of the field. This meant that for the first three furlongs of the race, she was sat towards the rear. However, once the race began to develop, she showed an impressive turn of foot to put the race to bed in style.
Her top speed of 42.32mph was the fastest of the field and over half a mile an hour quicker than Rumstar, whom she re-opposes today. I think that turn of foot will be crucial and I look forward to seeing her star rising further today after a blip at Royal Ascot where she failed to go into the stalls.
Mgheera and William Buick before winning last year's Temple Stakes (Dan Abraham - focusonracing.com).
At Market Rasen, it’s Summer Plate day, and with nearly a full field, there is plenty of opportunity to find some each way value in the feature (3.12).
Jumping is of great importance around Market Rasen, with 38 per cent of races over fences won by the horses that jumped the best. In a competitive handicap such as this, finding a jumping rhythm will be even more crucial and something that should be a real asset for Riskintheground.
His career Jump Index score of 7.9 out of 10 is the highest of the race and, if he can bounce back to the form of his win at Cheltenham in April, it’s hard to see him out of the frame.
His Jump Index in that race was 8.3, far better than the 7.5 he scored next time at Sandown, which highlights how much better he can be than he showed in his latest attempt. It’s very easy to draw a line through that last run too, as it was his third run in 15 days.
He had a busy spring, but hopefully the couple of months he’s had off will have freshened him up nicely, and knowing Dan Skelton, he’ll have primed him perfectly for this valuable prize.