Girdys Gee Gees Flat Dirty Dozen
Three-Year-Olds
Strong Suit
The Richard Hannon trained colt has reportedly wintered well and the plan is to run in the Greenham Stakes prior to a tilt at the 2000 Guineas all being well. I backed the horse in July last year for the 2000 Guineas having been very taken with his Ascot win, I am obviously hopeful he has strengthened over the winter and can put his speed to good use at Newmarket. (2000: 5-1)
Winner Jersey Stakes
Winner Lennox Stakes
Farhh
Farhh
The Godolphin colt hasn’t done much yet having only seen a racetrack once but he won that race at Newmarket in July in a nice fashion. By Pivotal out of German middle distance mare Gonbarda the colt could have a big race or two in him if he has trained on.
Frankel
Red hot Guineas favourite will be on everybody’s list after his two-year-old campaign and Henry Cecil is apparently very happy with him describing him in a pre-season interview as ‘much more settled and relaxed this spring.’
Winner 2000 Guineas
Winner St. James's Palace Satkes
Winner St. James's Palace Satkes
Dubai Prince
Impressive in his two starts as a two-year-old the Shamardal colt had Simon Crisford saying ‘he’s got a good turn of foot and will stay, but he’s got plenty of speed to run over a mile.’ I am not about to knock Crisfords opinion but I think the colt could be more of a Derby hope but he certainly will be worth watching out for over the coming season.
Memory
Another Richard Hannon inmate who I have already had a flutter on ante-post. The stable report she has wintered well, put on weight and become broader and they certainly seem to think she will be a decent three-year-old filly. I have thought she is a 1000 Guineas horse since July last year and I am convinced she will be winning races this year. (1000: 8-1)
Helleborine
Reportedly being aimed at the 1000 Guineas with her prep race likely to be the Prix Imprudence at Maisons-Laffitte in April the Observatory filly looks to have a bit of class and will be picking up races both sides of the Channel; one of by 1000 Guineas ante-post bets. (1000: 20-1)
White Moonstone
Helleborine
Reportedly being aimed at the 1000 Guineas with her prep race likely to be the Prix Imprudence at Maisons-Laffitte in April the Observatory filly looks to have a bit of class and will be picking up races both sides of the Channel; one of by 1000 Guineas ante-post bets. (1000: 20-1)
White Moonstone
The Godolphin filly did nothing wrong as a two-year-old winning all of her four starts culminating in a victory in the Meon Valley Stud Fillies Mile at Ascot. She looks sure to be there or thereabouts in the Guineas and Oaks but is unlikely to take part in any of the trials.
Misty For Me
Likely to be aimed at the Irish 1000 and Oaks the filly looked to improve all season culminating in her victory over Helleborine at Longchamp in October. It should be well worth keeping an eye on her over in the emerald Isle.
Winner Irish 1000 Guineas
Winner Pretty Polly Stakes
Older Horses
Winner Pretty Polly Stakes
Older Horses
Canford Cliffs
After some bad luck at the start of the season blew away the opposition over a mile for the rest of the year and confirmed himself as the class three-year-old. I firmly believe the colt will only get better at four.
Winner Lockinge Stakes
Winner Queen Anne Stakes
Winner Queen Anne Stakes
JJ The Jet Plane
Flying machine from the Southern Hemisphere will be worth following in the major international meetings and in South Africa as and when you can get on.
Winner Al Quoz Sprint
Midday
The Henry Cecil trained filly has been a top notch performer over the last three seasons competing in Group Ones across the globe. Likely to return at York in May her season will no doubt be planned around a tilt at the Breeders Cup Filly & Mare Turf come the end of the year.
Winner Middleton Stakes
Workforce
Another who will no doubt be on everybody’s lists but how can you leave the Derby and Arc winner out? Obviously being aimed at the big races again this year Sir Michael Stoute has a real star to go racing with.
Winner Brigadier Gerard Stakes
Trainers
Winner Brigadier Gerard Stakes
Trainers
Richard Hannon appears has some nice types to take racing this season headed of course by my Horse of the Year last season Canford Cliffs. The four-year-old has an entry in the Lockinge Stakes at York and you can expect to see the colt aimed at all the major one mile contests. Dubawi Gold has already advertised his wellbeing and The Free Handicap will be an early season target. Memory and Strong Suit are obvious others to look out for from a string of 231 horses with both likely to be involved in major three-year-old races throughout the campaign. Dick Turpin will also be back this season and is another horse likely to be challenging for some major races as the season progresses.
Godolphin will be campaigning all over the Globe again this year and I think they could be looking at a cracking campaign even by their very high standards. Farhh, Dubai Prince and White Moonstone all looking like good three-year-olds to go racing with. Rewilding will be aimed at the major middle distance races whilst Mendip and Delegator might prove interesting at around a mile.
Over in the Emerald Isle at Ballydoyle Aidan O’Brien and his team will be burning the midnight oil planning three-year-old campaigns for the likes of Misty For Me, Zoffany, Roderic O’Conner, Recital etc. As for the older horses St. Nicholas Abbey will be an interesting this season, whilst Cape Blanco, Fame And Glory and Beethoven will be aimed at some big prizes in Ireland, the UK and across the globe. The stables runners are always worth noting at major meetings but they do have a significant strike rate, and profit margin, at Chester.
Down at Freemason Lodge Sir Michael Stoute will be looking at some big prizes with the likes of last years Derby and Arc winner Workforce and top three-year-old prospects the filly Havant and colt Carlton House. He has a particularly good strike rate at Goodwood, Sandown and Windsor.
Mark Johnston will no doubt be sending out plenty of runners and once again aiming for 100+ winners in 2011, the motto of the stable is ‘Always Trying’ but he is not a trainer you can follow blindly if you are planning on winning a couple of bob. The straight talking Scotsman, based in Yorkshire, does appear to like a trip down south and any horse he sends all the way to Goodwood or Brighton are well worth keeping an eye on.
Richard Fahey racked up 143 winners last season, third behind Hannon and Johnston numerically, and finished just off the £2 million mark for prize money. You certainly won’t get rich backing all of his runners as he sends out plenty but any two-year-old he sends north of the border to Ayr or Hamilton is well worth a look.
Michael Jarvis, with a 23% strike rate last season, was the most consistent supplier of winners of those trainers finishing in the top 20 of the Trainers List. A shrewd operator he trained Ratki to win the Champion Stakes and the Lockinge. He also proved well worth following at some of the smaller tracks such as Windsor, Yarmouth, Ripon and Pontefract. His assistant Roger Varian has taken over at Kremlin House Stables and may well be worth following if he can continue his old masters run of form at such tracks.
Ed Dunlop will no doubt be planning a campaign for Snow Fairy all over the globe at the backend of the season providing she recovers from her early season injury. He has had a quieter couple of seasons as far as winners are concerned but he does have a nice strike rate at Wolverhampton on the sand so keep an eye our on the evening meetings.
Tim Easterby usually has a nice couple of horses in his care and will no doubt be looking to pick up a sprint race or two with Hamish McGonagall and Captain Dunne over the coming months.
Luca Cumani had a 21% strike rate last season and has a particularly impressive strike rate at Doncaster. Five-year-old Forte Dei Marmi will be aimed at big middle distance races during the season along with the filly Contrdanse. Six-year-old Drunken Sailor will probably be campaigned over longer distances with a ‘Cup’ campaign in mind.
Mick Channon normally has plenty of runners out during the season and he has a couple of nice fillies to have a tilt at the major races with during 2011 in the shape of four-year-old Music Show (unlucky to not have won a Guineas last year) and Soraaya who, though entered, is possibly just short of Guineas class but should win races in the coming months. Rileyskeepingfaith is a five-year-old who looks likely to be winning a Listed/Group race sooner rather than later.
Over at Warren Place Henry Cecil may very well be looking at the beginning of one of his best seasons for many years as of course he has Frankel too look forward to over the coming months; the colt might just be something very special. As well as his star colt he has a number of decent three-year-olds for the coming campaign including Picture Editor who might be a Derby outsider and two much talked of unraced colts Midsummer Sun 9half brother to Madday) and World Domination.
He also of course has Twice Over in his care as well as Midday and Timepiece for a crack at some of the major races across the globe and Bullet Train who will be looking to makeup for a disappointing second half to last season.
Add to this a reportedly nice crop of two-year-olds, including an as yet unnamed full brother to Frankel, and he has quite an impressive collection of animals to go racing with.
Cecil is a master of his craft and his record in domestic Classics is better than any other current trainer with a 24 victories on his C.V. at the start of the 2011 campaign. Available at 5-1 to win the Trainers Championship at the start of the season this year might just see the Master of Warren Place back on top of the pile and once again crowned Champion Trainer, a title he has held ten times previously, but not since 1993. It would be one of the most popular victories in racing if he was to finish as Champion Trainer and he is my tip for the coming season.
Over at Warren Place Henry Cecil may very well be looking at the beginning of one of his best seasons for many years as of course he has Frankel too look forward to over the coming months; the colt might just be something very special. As well as his star colt he has a number of decent three-year-olds for the coming campaign including Picture Editor who might be a Derby outsider and two much talked of unraced colts Midsummer Sun 9half brother to Madday) and World Domination.
He also of course has Twice Over in his care as well as Midday and Timepiece for a crack at some of the major races across the globe and Bullet Train who will be looking to makeup for a disappointing second half to last season.
Add to this a reportedly nice crop of two-year-olds, including an as yet unnamed full brother to Frankel, and he has quite an impressive collection of animals to go racing with.
Cecil is a master of his craft and his record in domestic Classics is better than any other current trainer with a 24 victories on his C.V. at the start of the 2011 campaign. Available at 5-1 to win the Trainers Championship at the start of the season this year might just see the Master of Warren Place back on top of the pile and once again crowned Champion Trainer, a title he has held ten times previously, but not since 1993. It would be one of the most popular victories in racing if he was to finish as Champion Trainer and he is my tip for the coming season.
Jockeys
A couple of jockeys to keep an eye on for the coming season may well be Billy Cray riding for Dominic Ffrench Davis as well as in sprints with rides from Dandy Nicholls. He notched up a personal best 30 winners in 2010 - 19 in the Championship proper - and will be looking to better that score over the coming months. The other jockey to watch for is Adam Kirby who has been steadily climbing the ladder over the last couple of seasons. He has close links with ‘The Choirboy’ Walter Swinburn and Clive Cox and a great strike rate on horses trained by Marco Botti. He kicked home 79 winners (including All Weather) in 2008, a personal best 83 winners (including All Weather) in 2009 and 76 last year – 42 in the Jockey Championship proper - he will no doubt be aiming for that elusive 100 winners in 2011 and a minimum 50 in the Championship.Of the established order Ryan Moore is even money favourite to claim back the Jockeys titles and with the firepower at his command, providing he stays injury free, he has to have a favourites chance. Richard Hughes has stated he fancies another tilt at the tile this year being on record as describing last year as ‘tiring, but I didn’t find it as gruelling as most people said.’ He missed by a mere two winners last season and if he is prepared to put in the miles again he won’t be far off with the animals at his disposal from Father-in-Law Richard Hannon. Paul Hanagan will not relinquish his title without a fight but might struggle this year to reach the heights of 2010 although he should get plenty of chances again from Richard Fahey. Tom Queally will be some punters idea of a decent outsider at 33-1 and although he looks likely to get somewhere near 100 winners with a number of good horses to ride he won’t be wining the title without a miracle. William Buick is of course a jockey going places fast but I don’t think he has the firepower either for a sustained challenge this year. I am a fan of the 2007 Co-Champ Seb Sanders but he does not have the horses to go to war with and the other 2007 joint Champ Jamie Spencer is still the ‘Marmite’ jockey of the weighing room. Frankie Dettori will of course be doing his thing for Godolphin so the title is a non-runner for him. That leaves us with Six times Champion Kieren Fallon who will be going all out to retake the title he last held in 2003 and is likely to be the biggest challenger to Moore. Back to somewhere near his best last season with 131 winners in the Championship to finish fourth, the man from County Clare will be looking to put his various personal and legal trials and tribulations far behind him and at 7-2 to be Champion Jockey he looks a fair bet to me – you will at the very least get a run for your money.
