This Wednesday sees the end of the winter season at Pau, with an 8-race jumps card bringing the curtain down on 10-weeks of almost non-stop racing. The turf track has begun to cut up in recent weeks and with nothing leaping off the page, I will leave that card alone. If anyone is interested, there is a decent 4-year-old AQPS Chase on that card (R7) and it is possible there could be a few horses to watch in that for the future. All of the time comparisons for Pau are available for free, just drop us a message through the contact page on the blog and we can arrange for a copy of the excel file to be sent to you.
Leaving the jumps to one side, there is also an all-weather card at Marseille Vivaux and whilst it doesn’t have the glamour of Cagnes-Sur-Mer, it is at least competitive and it is to the final race at 6:45 UK time that we head for todays tip.
LES ALDUDES
5-year-old Filly trained by Patrice Cottier
Anodin x Balme Blanche (Rock of Gibraltar)
ECURIE DU SUD
A winner of 2 of her 26 starts, LES ALDUDES has made the frame on 15 of those 26 races and has been a model of consistency for her connections, albeit at a low level. Franck Blondel returns for the ride on Wednesday, having ridden her 5 times before with form figures of 2,7,2,16,2. She currently has a rating of 24.5, which is a fair reflection of her ability, in fact she has been rated between 24 and 26 kilos for the past 2 years, though this drop back into a Class 4 should make her very competitive.
Both her career wins have come on the turf, but she has held her form well since winning a Class 4 race at Salon-de-Provence in November, finished 3rd and 2nd in her last 2 starts at Marseille Vivaux. There is a chance that last time was meant to be her day, having settled nicely in a prominent position, she kicked for home at the 2-furlong pole and looked to have the race won with a 3-length lead as they straightened up for home. Marina Brunelli is a talented young claimer, but she is still learning the job and it is possible that Les Aldudes would have held on with a stronger drive in the finish. As it was, she was mowed down in the final strides by Darwen, who came out of the pack under a power packed ride from Maryline Eon, but they pulled nearly 3-lengths clear of the rest. She has been left on the same mark by the handicapper and drops out of Class 3 into a much easier race and it will be disappointing if she doesn’t go close this time.