4:37 Pornichet - Snooze Button - 1pt WIN (11/10 Bet365)
7 go to post fo this Class 3 contest and it is fair to say that this probably isn’t the deepest race, but the proximity of recent form over this course and distance gives a nice angle into this race. It is probably best to focus on just 4 of the runners, SNOOZE BUTTON, SUAVE STORY, KING WOOTY and MINISTRABLE. The other runners, Aintreegirl, Trujillo and Putumayo are badly out of form at present and it would be quite a shock were they to win this race.
SUAVE STORY and KING WOOTY met in a handicap here on the 29th December, finishing 3rd and 5th behind Larry over this course and distance. Suave Story is the horse to take from that race, having raced in the rear of mid-division she was forced to come 5 wide on the home turn and did well to continue to close in the final furlong, beaten 3-lengths or so. She had a much more difficult passage round than King Wooty and should uphold the form, but she hasn’t won since 2020 and all 3 of her career victories have come on the turf. She has the habit of running on in the closing stages without ever looking like winning and in a small field, she may not get the strong pace that she needs. King Wooty won a Class 4 contest here in December, but that was his only success in a 27 race career and the suspicion is that he will be outclassed once again.
SNOOZE BUTTON and MINISTRABLE also met on the 29th December, with Snooze Button winning that handicap by 2-lengths, with Ministrable only 3rd. There is no doubt that Snooze Button had the ideal passage that day, tracking the leader and getting first run in the home straight. That form looks stronger than the race involving Suave Story, especially after the 4th placed horse Zaahir won at this track last week. Whilst Ministrable was forced to come wide off the home turn and kept on nicely, running the final 3-furlongs in 35.74s compared to the 36.24s produced by Snooze Button. On that evidence, you may expect that form to be reversed, but Snooze Button always had that race under control and although he is a 5-year-old, he missed the vast majority of 2021 with injury and has much more potential for improvement. In a race where most of his rivals would prefer a strong pace to aim at, he is the likely pace angle and should be able to dictate this and will probably have too much for his rivals. When pricing this race I made him an Evens chance in this field and am not surprised to see Bet365 price him at 11/10.
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