The Verdict Extra: Makalu looks incredibly well treated

I hope you enjoyed this week's edition of The Verdict where I urged you to put Montassib in your Racing TV tracker after his win in a handicap at Haydock on Saturday.

I am also convinced that Greenham winner Isaac Shelby did not get the plaudits he should have done, with all of the focus being on the antics of Chaldean at the start of that race.

If you haven't managed to watch the show yet, you can view it below on our YouTube page.

I have four more races for your consideration in this week's Verdict Extra column. Make sure you add each horse to your Racing TV Tracker to be notified when they are declared to run next.

At Musselburgh on Sunday, Rock Melody shaped like a sure-fire future winner. The final race on the Sky Bet Sunday Series card was a five-furlong handicap, and Rock Melody finished third behind The Thin blue Line.

She looked a little unlucky and also in need of six furlongs, while the Course Track (CT) sectionals more than confirm that impression.

The race was evenly run, with the winner recording a Finishing Speed Percentage (FSP) of 100.63%. Rock Melody finished the race off stronger than the winner recording an FSP of 102.01%, which tells us that she finished the race better than any of the other 14 runners.

She was outpaced through the first furlong of the race and proved to be the slowest horse in the race in the early stages having recorded a furlong of 14.73s, with the winner recording 14.23s.

She was always on the back foot thereafter, and had to be switched wide to get a run. Once in the clear, she ran on very strongly and recorded the fastest final three furlongs of 37.15s, compared to the winner who recorded 37.50s.

If you delve deeper, you will see that her final furlong was the fastest in the race at 13.38s, and this strength at the line suggests she is worth a go over a furlong further.

Her handicap mark of 77 should go untouched and she has only had a couple of runs for Jim Goldie, both over five furlongs, plus it should be noted her two career wins have come over six and seven furlongs.

She is entered in a 6f handicap at Ayr next Monday, and will be worth a close look.

Clear Angel won at Wetherby on Sunday - he is now two from two at the track - and because he scored with such dominance, according to the CT numbers, he looks sure to win again before the handicapper catches up with him.

He was keen in midfield but flew home. His FSP was 107.19%, which tells us he finished the race off well and that the overall pace of the race was modest. That modest pace caused him to over race a little, but it did not hinder his finishing effort.

Through each of the final three furlongs, he was the fastest horse in the race. Here are his final splits.

F6: 11.22s.

F7: 11.36s.

F8: 12.83s.

Those numbers equate to a cumulative final three furlongs of 35.51s, which was much quicker than the second and third who recorded 36.67s and 36.37s.

The ground was good to soft, and a CT allowance for one length on such ground is 0.18s. This means that although his winning margin was two lengths, he was actually four and three-quarter lengths quicker than his nearest rivals through the final three furlongs.

That starkly outlines his superiority and he can score again. He has no entries at the moment.

Makalu is a very well handicapped four-year-old who has run just twice for Ruth Carr, and looks like he is ready to win again.

From a handicapping point of view, he looks incredibly well treated. He last won a handicap off a rating of 72 in 2021, and finished third in a class six handicap off just 55 at Beverley on Monday.

The CT numbers tell us he is in good form, and is ready to win.

He raced in mid-division and was a little keen in what was a strongly run race where the principals finished the final three furlongs slower than they ran the rest of the race. We know this because the winner recorded an FSP of 96.61%. This is due to the pace of the race, but also the uphill finish on soft ground.

Makalu finished the race relatively strongly compared to his rivals with an FSP of 97.15%, and his final three furlongs of 39.96s was the fastest recorded in the race. His final furlong furlong of 14.14s was the best in the race, too, and this finishing effort tells us he is in good form, and ready to win.

Makalu is not entered in any races at the moment, but with the Ruth Carr team in such good form, I am sure he will be racing again soon. A class six handicap off his current rating is well within his grasp.

Ugo Gregory won four races in 2021 which saw his handicap mark rise to 84. That took him to the summit of his ability and, now winless in 14 starts, he finds himself down to a rating of 64. He looks ready to strike soon.

The CT data from his latest run at Beverley on Monday paints a positive picture. He finished second to On The River, yet is worth a sectional upgrade, and can be rated as the winner. He failed to win by just a neck, and hold-up tactics appeared to suit him.

This was a strongly run race, as evidenced by the winners FSP of 96.16%. Ugo Gregory finished stronger than the winner with an FSP of 97.38%, and only just failed to catch the winner.

He was fastest through the final three furlongs, recording 39.99s which can be further analysed.

If you look at the individual closing splits, his ran the final two furlongs faster than the winner, as detailed below:

On the River - F7: 13.15s. F8: 14.81s.

Ugo Gregory: - F7: 13.09s. F8: 14.02s.

Ugo Gregory is clearly well handicapped, and the numbers tell us he is in good form. He is ready to win a similar contest.