5/1 Duke of Aricabeau ready to rule
The unexposed Duke of Aricabeau has shown bags of proimise in four runs and is of major interest at 5/1 in the 2.40 at Carlisle.
Mick Easterby’s gelding was well supported on his nursery debut on the all weather at Kempton after showing distinct promise in three maiden runs without troubling the judge.
However after travelling strongly at the rear of the field he got badly hampered three furlongs from home as the pace quickened which ruined any chance he had of winning.
In the end he stayed on to finish fourth, and although beaten 8 1/2 lengths by Worth he was not knocked about and ran far better than the finishing position suggests.
I am convinced that he is far better than his current mark of 64 and has been trained specifically with nurseries in mind.
He is just the type that his shrewd handler places to great effect to land a punt, and it would be no surprise to see him heavily backed today to recoup the Kempton losses.
Today’s stiff 5f should suit him ideally, and he is definitely one to keep on the right side in the coming weeks.
Recommended bet: 5pts win Duke of Aricabeau (5/1 bet365 – BOG)
Ella Woodcock an each-way play at 12s
Ella Woodcock is well weighted if ready to go after a long absence and looks worth chancing at 12/1 in the 4.10 at Carlisle.
Eric Alston’s seven-year-old has been a good servant over the years, winning six times and being placed on 15 occasions.
The gelding managed to get his head in front just once last season, when landing a 1m 1f event at Wolverhampton off a mark of 66, but did put in a number of solid place efforts of higher marks subsequently.
He gets in to today’s contest on a mark of 63, and although he has not been seen in action for 464 days he has run well after lengthy lay offs in the past.
His handler has certainly found him a weak looking race for his belated reappearance, and given that he is fully effective under today’s conditions it’s hard not to see him being involved at the business end of affairs.
In a race which can be whittle down to just a handful of runners with realistic chances, he looks excellent each-way value at
Recommended bet: 2pts each-way Ella Woodcock (12/1 bet365 – BOG)