The Wrap:

I know there were disputes here last year on the merits of backing unexposed and, possibly, unraced two-year-olds but I know from long experience that this is simply an alternative way to find winners that is part of my strategy to occasionally field against the market. As some of the results below indicate, it is not entirely without merit. It takes a different discipline to "locking and loading" on horses considered to be form choices and value prices, but each to their own. I get a great kick from this annual puzzle and like most of my threads of a similar nature returned a decent LSP.

A select number of these remain in my tracker and I am hopeful that a few are potentially well-handicapped. You know the likely quote from a jubilant trainer:

“We thought a lot of him last spring but he was slow to come to hand-we even gave him a speculative entry in the Phoenix Stakes. He was gelded/done for his wind late last year and we are now playing catch up. We will target handicaps over the same trip and a premier handicap at the Curragh in July is the long term plan.”

Phoenix Stakes Entries G1 (15 entries nominated including just one from Ballydoyle)

Binary Code (John Murphy)
Three back-end runs, was gelded and has had a taste of action at Cork a few weeks ago on horrible ground. Sire (Invincible Spirit) is the business and he is not over-burdened with his mark. Pays for the summer holidays potentially.

Confrontational (John Murphy)
Won on his second start at 5/1 last June – job done as far as I’m concerned.

Born To Be (John Oxx)
Won at 7/1 on his third start-easy peasy!

Sea Of Grace (John Oxx)
Won on second start at strongly-fancied 4/5. Won his only other start in Group 3 Flame Of Tara Stakes. Oxx lost the horse in winter to Willie Haggas and no credit goes to Tsui family for this demotion. Was something of a disappointment in the Nell Gwyn but is far from done with.

Diarist (Willie McCreery)
Just one back-end run after he was gelded in summer. McCreery does well for Sheikh Mohammed.

Grand Coalition (Johnny Murtagh)
Won at 7/2 on second start – highly tried thereafter. Changed hands for €75,000 last November; whereabouts unknown.

Hit The Bid (Darren Bunyan)
Collected a Group 3 Curragh sprint on his third start. What’s that? His S.P.? Oh, right! 50/1.
Oh ye of little faith.

Imagine If (Ger Lyons)
Placed second in two of three maidens before collecting in Navan at 6/4.

Lightening Fast (Ger Lyons)
Second in a maiden (from 3 starts) on his second start was as good as it got for this superbly-bred Frankel filly. One pipe-opener so far this season and she will test Lyons’ skills to get her a priceless winning bracket. It will be fun to watch how he places her.

Noivado (Ger Lyons)
7/4 winner on third start and looks one of those hardy Glenburnie colts that will win plenty.

Son Of Rest (Tommy Stack)
Very short-priced winner of his maiden three weeks ago after two very promising runs at two. Could be Thomastown material for Ascot.

Presidential (Kevin Prendergast)
Three similar mid-div runs at two and looks to be handicap mark of 70-ish. Looks sure to win races.

Zihaam (Kevin Prendergast)
This £170,000 purchase is as yet unraced.

Winter (David Wachman)
Was strongly-fancied by DW before finally scoring on third start at 7/4. Took the Kvanagh’s bus from Holy Cross to Rosegreen on Wachman’s early retirement and I believe this filly could go right to the top.


Railway Stakes G2

Big Ego (Andy Oliver)
Six unplaced runs and G2 entry now looks hopelessly optimistic. Will have a very winnable mark if the latent talent is located.

Billy Big (Andy Oliver)
Showed progressive form in three starts – third on final outing – before being sold to race in the US.

Glenamoy Lad (Ken Condon)
Placed 4 times from 8 starts although beaten short-priced favourite on two occasions. Condon doesn’t usually miss with his fancied two-year-olds but there’s always the exception.

Jack Flash (Ger Lyons)
Failed to reach the desired standard for Qatar Racing after four runs, the best being a runner-up finish (2/1) at Down Royal. Les Eyre paid £16,000 for him and he promptly won his first UK start at 9/2.

There may be a lesson with this quartet who did not get original G1 entries in the Phoenix Stakes.

National Stakes G1

A Place Apart (Ken Condon)
Unraced

Succeeding (Ken Condon)
Unraced

Act Of Valour (Michael O’Callaghan)
Nice “sighter” last October (finished fifth) and plenty of hope value remaining.

Glastonbury Song (Ger Lyons)
Well bought at €31,000 by Sean Jones and scored at odds-on on his first start. Highly-tried on only subsequent run and I reckon there’s plenty more to come. “We hoped for something like that. He is a very nice horse and he will have no problem getting a mile.”

Grandee (Jessica Harrington)
Placed on two of first three starts before scoring at 6/1 in a Curragh maiden. Tried in G3 company latest and looks a very nice horse.

John Honeyman (Jessica Harrington)
A shade disappointing in five starts and is now with Adrian Keatley. Probably over-rated by handicapper and needs to plumb the depths to get competitive, possibly on forays across the water. I doubt Harrington left much behind.

Unraced Oaks Entries:
Two unraced two-year-olds held Oaks entries for Dermot Weld in May 2016: whilst Fawz never saw the track, Mounira was beaten favourite in two starts. I suspect the entries related to Shadwell ownership as opposed to innate ability.

Dark Horses – miscellany

Molly Dolly: I really rate her trainer, Bill Farrell, and this filly may now be retired after failing to score last season. It appears to me she is just below listed class and consequently needs to drop 10lbs to win again. If she stays in training that would be the sensible strategy although winning black-type efforts will probably prevail.

World Of Good (John Murphy)
Eventually ran into form last winter and scored on the all-weather at 11/2.

Gallope (Prunella Dobbs)
Lightly-raced but probably badly handicapped as it turns out. I suspect she’s now retired.

Secret Splendor (Frank Dunne)
Two runs and I’ve lost all interest in her. In hindsight, hobby trainers are not clever picks.

And finally..........................

When I wrote the thread last year I assiduously avoided Ballydoyle, Rosewell House and Coolcullen entries. The only Ballydoyle two-year-old I nominated was Lancaster Bomber: “Only two colts that are presently unraced have entries in all three contests and one of these hails from Ballydoyle – Lancaster Bomber -  and the second, Noivado, was nominated amongst my earlier “dark horses”. The clues are there sometimes but it can be easy to overlook them. It was difficult to assess the pre-race moves in this market as there seemed to be tickles for a few including Lancaster Bomber who may be worth an interest on his next couple of starts if he starts at decent odds.”

Lancaster Bomber collected his maiden in Leopardstown at 100/30 on his next start and subsequently ran second in the Dewhurst at 66/1.

I am looking forward to the 2017 entries due shortly.

Hoping Lancaster Bomber might get in the Kentucky Derby, will be a massive price and is probably still going forward. Good thread Royal Academy. Think the Dubai run was purely educational for travel and handling the dirt purposes; from what I've read (which isn't much), it ain't a great race this year.

'Love Your Work' and admire your patience RA.

See your Binary Code (61) entered in Gowran next Sun over 1m Flat Hcap (Rated 45-65).

Diarist finished 3rd at Cork on Saturday 6th May 5.30

btw - Coolmore have renamed Winter's full-sister - Snowflakes (by Galileo/Laddies Poker Two).

That Presidential is getting the hang of things lately for Nick Bradley Racing