A small team of 4 on Saturday with 3 at Newmarket and Realign the sole representative at Haydock.
He heads for the 6f Handicap at 2.40 to try and get something out of a season that has been underwhelming to say the least. At the last Haydock meeting high numbers were favoured on the straight track and his draw in 7 whilst not great is helped by the fact that the pacesetter Vantheman is drawn in 5 . The threat of heavy rain in the forecast for Lancashire on Saturday has now diminished.
There has been money at 16/1 for Realign and is now 8/1 which is not surprising given he was thought to be good enough to win a Royal Ascot handicap off a mark of 92. He has since been gelded and is now 5lb lower and can race off a mark of 87.
If the gelding operation has worked he could totally outclass this field and even at 8/1 he has to be worth an interest off a mark of just 87 for a horse who in June was being prepared to run in Group 1 company.
Recommended Bet 1pt win Realign 2.40 Haydock 8/1 Sky & Paddy Power
Another looking to recover from a very unfortunate season is Treasure Time when he tackles the Cambridgeshire at 3.40.
These were my thoughts about the horse written at the end of August.
Treasure Time 4yo gelding
It’s been a very frustrating season for the connections of the top grade handicapper Treasure Time. Balloted out twice at Royal Ascot, drawn in the car park twice at Goodwood and then being poorly positioned in a slowly ran Shergar Cup 8f race round the Ascot bend, will have caused many to lose faith in the 4yo.
Those of us with patience may well get the last laugh. His mark of 94 at the start of the season, was considered good enough to head straight for the Hunt Cup to preserve that rating. Many in the yard felt Tom Marquand should ride him in preference to the eventual runner up Bullet Point.
I firmly believe having been readied to win a Class 2 competitive handicap on seasonal debut not then being able to run has caused the lethargic performances at Goodwood and to a lesser degree Ascot having made a satisfactory belated seasonal debut at Sandown.
The Goodwood run was a complete write off when after being kept wide he had little more than an exercise canter. Then at Ascot over the round mile, where he was slowly away in a steadily ran race and couldn’t claw back the lengths lost in the first 2F.
It’s worth remembering that the owners group are managed by one of the most successful gamblers of the modern era and it is hard not to think that after very unfortunate circumstances foiled the Royal Ascot run – there is not a Plan B
Treasure Time is now down to 92 and given the right race conditions is more than up to winning a Class 2 contest probably over 9f or 10f. If they want to go for gold possibly the Cambridgeshire could be the target.’
This years contest looks different from normal years. The field of 24 is the smallest this century and there looks to be very few genuine pace setters in the race.
The front two in the market Treble Tee and Fifth Column are the most likeliest winners but both would be better suited by a strong pace and it is most likely to come from Mister Winston from stall 17 which suggests high numbers maybe favoured. 3 year olds don’t have a great record in the race but they occupy the first 3 places in the market.
Treasure Time is joint top rated by Timeform Ratings and he is well worth an each way bet to prove himself a top level Class 2 handicapper.
Godwinson won the Lincoln Handicap for the yard when everything went right for him on the day and it looks to me as though that may well be the case for Treasure Time on Saturday. He will relish the fast ground.
Betting Recommendation Treasure Time 3.40 Newmarket 0.50pt ew 20/1 1-5 places and 0.50pt ew BOG from 8.00am Saturday 1-6 places
The 2yo’s Caraway in the Maiden at 5.20 and the ultra tough Gwen John in the Nursery at 4.15 both have solid chances.
I really like the filly Gwen John. When she got beat at Carlisle she ran as though something was amiss and duly reversed the form with the winner March Ahead to the tune of 3l on 2lb worse terms. She was put up 4lb for that run when second to the very useful Half Sovereign. That suggests she still has a few pound in hand of the handicapper and with Marco Ghiani doing the steering off 8’6′ she has a great chance to go one better. Her form was boosted when Lily Pearl won a Nursery on Thursday off a mark of 72.
Haggas has had runners in this race on 7 occasions this century and won it 3 times a stat that only adds to the confidence in the filly. The 4/1 opening show with William Hill is OK
Recommended Bet 2pt win Gwen John 4.15 Newmarket 1pt win 4/1 William Hill + 1pt win BOG 8.00am Saturday.
Caraway will improve considerably for her debut run at Newbury but unlike his record in the Nursery at 4.15 the Haggas record this century in this 7f maiden, due off at 5.20 is 0-10. It is a hot race and we can watch for the future.
No Bet Recommended
Summary 3 bets on Saturday.
1pt win Realign 2.40 Haydock
1pt ew Treasure Time 3.40 Newmarket
2pt win Gwen John 4.15 Newmarket.
Chrysalis Consortium 
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