Author: Russ

The return of Scoville in the Class 3 Conditions Stakes 4.25 at Thirsk this Friday provides the newly gelded four-year-old with an opportunity to get a career back on track. It is a career that once looked destined for Group 1 status, following a dominant 14-length Novice Stakes victory at Newmarket on his second start last July. The sheer…

The 3 runners sent out from Somerville Lodge on Bank Holiday Monday typified why we will not advise bets on William Haggas Novices and Maidens this season. The first two at Kempton were ‘apparently’ supported into favoritism, only to run in a manner that is common for inexperienced horses from the yard. The filly Creative…

Somerville Lodge runs three fancied in the markets on Bank Holiday Monday. All 3 will feature near the front of the betting. My expectation is that all will run well and there is every chance that 1 or more will win. However the stats on past performances with similar types sent by the yard to…

The next few days will be relatively quiet as the focus shifts toward the Craven and Greenham meetings in 12 days’ time. There are no declared runners for this Saturday or Sunday. Throughout April, our attention will center on the record of Haggas-trained favourites in 3yo-only Class 2, 3, and 4 handicaps. This has proven…

Somerville Lodge sends one runner to post on Thursday – Palace Artois contests the 6 runner 1m fillies maiden the 5.10 at Southwell. Although well beaten on both starts she did run with promise last time, in what looked a better race than today’s, when she was noted staying on well inside the final furlong.…

A glut of entries for the major races at the Spring Festivals, made over the past 48 hours, highlights the strength in depth of the older horses retained to run this season out of Somerville Lodge. Especially pleasing is the entry for Almeraq in the Group 2 Minster Stakes at York’s Dante meeting providing a…

Readers of our winter articles will be fully aware of the potential long term targets for Dramatic Star and Wiltshire at the AW Championships finals on Good Friday. Thankfully, all is on target and the Ante-Post markets offer value that is too good to ignore. We took the 10/1 with William Hill on Dramatic Star,…

There is an increased belief around Somerville Lodge that this season promises to match the high expectations always set by the team. Although the last week was at face value a little disappointing the reality was that all the horses expected to run well did so – our only bet of the week Eternal Force…

To my surprise William Hill this evening have opened an Ante Post book for the 2m AW Marathon Championship final the final race at 4.42 Newcastle on Friday. Followers may remember my intention to follow what I believe is the long term plan by the Haggas team to land this prize with Dramatic Star. The…

The 2026 Flat season has been given a superb platform from which to build by the career change of Constitutional Hill and the early appearance of Albert Einstein at the Curragh. The flat season reaches an early peak and within six weeks the Guineas will have been run and we will be just a few…