Anyone who took my advise and backed Malotru yesterday at Newcastle, will probably be pretty dismayed at the ride from Luke Morris. The horse should clearly of won. Having ridden myself, I can know you can encounter ‘traffic” problems when making ground, which Morris did, but for me the biggest error was he had his whip in his wrong hand, and Malotru went left under pressure, giving ground away. Morris only had to look at the horses form, he went left last year, when he was beaten at Newbury. So to of even had his whip in his right hand was a mistake a senior experienced rider should not make.

On to today. Newmarket has good racing, with the main race being the Coronation Cup at 3.35, which has been transferred from Epsom, and has a good field. The favourite is Ghaiyyath, who when last seen running in Europe was below expectations in the Prix D’Arc de Triomphe back in October last year. A win in Dubai in February, so a break since that run, of which he won well. He can run well off a break, but my concern for him is the track. He is keen, and will be fresh, which will make William Buick’s job even harder, as he needs to save energy, Newmarket is almost 10f in a straight line, so I wont be backing him at cramped odds. Defoe won this race last year (at Epsom) and he stays well, as does Stradivarius, who is dropping back in trip, but is worth consideration, the same applies to the Ballydoyle pair Anthony Van Dyck and Broome, with the former having won a Derby. If he is anywhere close to his Derby form, he is overpriced at around 7/, I will have an interest bet on him. I also think Defoe is value as well at 4/1.

Delta Royalty 4.45 at Newmarket looked quirky when she won last year at Kempton on the all weather surface. She is clearly talented, as she was backed that day like defeat was not an issue, she has some interesting rivals, most of who are unraced, so I am going to watch this race.

Miss Yoda looks as though she is the one to beat at Lingfield 2.40. She was a tad keen when getting beat at Newmarket in the Autumn, but still ran well to be second, and the Gosden horses are in good form.

Good card today at Newcastle on the artificial surface. Most of the jockeys have reported the track is riding “slow” which makes it hard work for horses. Malotru drops back to 6f today 3.20- although a winner over 6f as a two year old, and a winner on an artificial surface before, so a lot to like about his chances, he has a solid chance to bag a Group 3 race.

At Newmarket the first 5 races are for two year olds. A lot of “bubbles” will burst today, as some really big yards have runners. I have become a lot more interested in the French racing since resumption.

At Lyon 4.55 Mykiss was a good winner last time, he has a solid chance to win again, if he relaxes over this extra trip. Olga could well be a bit of value in the race at around 11/2, she won well last time under a claimer and Stéphane Pasquier takes over today, she looked every inch a filly who will get the 12f trip today, when she won over 10f, although her breeding suggests otherwise. Westeros 6.00 looks a penalty kick, he was a good second on debut, and a winner has already come from that race, who was behind him in 6th that day, so it could of been a decent newcomers maiden.

More later.

A good win for Victor Ludorum yesterday in the French 2,000 Guineas at Deauville. Hopefully some of my followers will have backed him. He has a live chance in the French Derby if he runs.

On to today’s cards. At Kempton 3.20 Cold Front has solid claims to win. He was only caught in the shadows of the post on debut last season at Newbury. He has a decent man on top, who rides this all weather track well.

At 3.55 First Receiver will likely start as favourite. If he can overcome his wide draw, he is the one to beat. Imrahor would be my pick each way at around 6/1 with a few firms. He ran well on his only start when second, and trainer Hugo Palmer usually has his horses ready to go on their first run from a break.

More later.

Return of racing today in the UK. I was reading an article about the number of “hot spots” for the current pandemic, and Gateshead and areas around Newcastle are high on number of cases !

I am sure the right procedures will be in place, and every precaution will be taken to keep people safe. I have heard Freedom Flyer 2.10 is going well at home, he has been supported in the betting market, currently around 9/4. It is always good to bet with a bit of caution over the first week or so, finding out who has their stable in good form is a must. Over in France today, Trop-beau will be trying to win the French 1,000 Guineas at Deauville 3.25. She won well in her trial race, and looks like the one to beat. The 2,000 Guineas colts race, I think is quite open, Victor Ludorum was a flop on his return recently, although he raced keenly, and saw a lot of daylight, I would expect a lot better effort today, and will not be surprised if he shows his classy two year old form, and is the horse to beat for me.

More later.

A decent card at Deauville today in France. Ocean Atlantique 2.50 was a really good second on his comeback run recently. He should be too good for his rivals in this Listed event. Earlier in the card Farout 2.15 runs in a really hotly contested handicap, he has top weight, but he has solid each way claims at around 6/1, he powered clear near the line last time when he won, off a really slow pace. This is a stronger race, with Youmdor as the likely main rival.

Good news to hear that racing returns tomorrow at Newcastle. 9 races to go at, with only a maximum of 12 in each race, due to the current health issues. I would think a large number of yards will be itching to get back among the winners, betting with a bit of caution is always best during the first week or so, as then you can access which yards have their team of horses fit and ready to perform well.

More tomorrow.

Still a fair amount of racing left in France. At 4.35 Bordeaux Le Bouscat – Lauernen looks to have a solid chance, he can be a tad keen in his races, so I will probably have a bet on the exchanges in play. As a few might take him on in the early stages, Spirit Intime is always ridden with enthusiasm and if these two take each other on, it may set the race up for a horse ridden with a bit of patience. Later in the card at 6.15- Saint Mano would be my idea of the one to beat, he may have his stable mate El Chiquito as his main threat, the former jumped well when second on debut over obstacles. He did finish his race on possibly slower poached ground that day, so it was a really nice effort. El Chiquito fell on his debut, so if none the worse, he looks a nice big type, and was well fancied that day, hopefully he can jump found safely.

More tomorrow.

Racing in France today has 4 meetings. At Dieppe, where the ground is described as good to soft. One horse I like is Kourkan 1.25. A drop in grade for this horse, and a capable claiming rider on top, this horse should have enough to take this event. Trading around 6/4 generally. Another horse I like, despite his age is running in the 12.10 race over 12 furlongs. Golden Wood is now 10, but he missed a couple of seasons with injury, and was a game winner last time, at 4/1 he is value, even each way with 8 runners is a good bet. Christophe Soumillon rides, it’s interesting to note that he won on Valeya last time, and has opted to ride Golden Wood.

More later.

Racing at Lyon in France today looks tricky in finding a winner. I did take my friend Laurent Barbarin’s advise this morning- I fancied Cleonte in the 10.25 Chateaubriant, who was around 7/4 at the time. He confirmed that it was his preference as well, I didn’t know much about the young apprentice riding, but Laurent assured me that he was a very good rider, and he will not be claiming 6lb for long. So a good winner- and delighted to get value – as the Andre Fabre trained filly was well backed into 5/6 , before romping up. Ulan 3.35 Lyon has a good chance of winning again, he has gone up 6lb in the handicap, but won with a good deal in hand last time, and should take all the beating.

More tomorrow.

Having watched racing in France a lot since the resumption of the French racing, one thing that I see very often is a lot of the jockeys seem a bit one dimensional !

It is clear that Andre Fabre likes his horses to come from off the pace, it is very rare that they make the running.  His main two jockeys are P Boudot and M Barzalona- and both have plenty of experience of riding in France.  Barzalona is still retained by Godolphin, so he rides the horses he is retained for, and Fabre has a lot for Godolphin.  Boudot rides for numerous owners, and for me is riding with great confidence, he seems to be winning on a lot of horses that he shouldn’t , of late.  I think he could well win the 4.00 At Deauville, on Bring On The Night for Fabre, he is very short odds, and L’aigle looks his main rival, in the 12f event.  Both horses are possible improvers.

It looks like racing in the UK will get the green light to start on the 1st of June.  Let’s hope that no complications are likely over the next few days.  I am sure every precaution is being looked at.

More later.

The meeting today at Vichy in France has some nice horses running.  At 1.58 Soft Light looks like he is the real class act of the field.  Obviously it is his first run of the year, so he will improve.  However he showed much more than his rivals last year, and I would be disappointed if he was to get beat.  He is around 10/11- which is short for his first run of the year, but the stable runners are going well enough, so he should be more than good enough, it is a major drop in class from a last run in a Group 1.

More later.