Friday, May 21, 2010

Noted in the North West...

Running late this evening - a brief post before the final 'Ashes To Ashes' episode.

There are two meetings in the North West tomorrow, at Chester and Haydock - I note that Tom Dascombe has plenty of entries around the country but stable jock Richard Kingscote has just two rides, the first at Haydock on Blue Jack (owned by Andrew Black and Michael Owen) in the Temple Stakes at 3.00 and the second at Chester in the Lambrini Handicap at 5.10. The aforementioned Michael Owen, together with footballing colleagues Nicky Butt and Paul Scholes, own Bagutta Sun, a four-year-old bay filly who finished last in the listed Leicestershire Stakes last month. The suspicion is connections were looking to acquire a handicap mark there - previously their charge had finished behind one that went on to claim third spot in the Prix Marcel Boussac at Longchamp. I'll consider an each-way interest in Bagutta Sun at a price - she will sport a visor for the first time.

Chester suggestions:
2.25 Little Scotland (top rated)
2.55 Not My Choice each-way (C&D winner with good draw)
4.00 Tamareen (good low berth in a sprint - market rivals out wide)
5.10 Bagutta Sun each-way

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

What do you think of the Dascombe/Owen arrangement? Owen seems fiercely determined to make this a major operation and I get the feeling that if Mr Dascombe cannot deliver the goods he will have no hesitation in shipping him out quick smart. I may be wrong but I would imagine he won't give Dascombe a huge amount of time if the results don't look favourable....

GeeDee said...

Hi Ben,

The manner in which Owen dismissed previous tenant Nicky Vaughan left something to be desired - see item in post below

http://pgstips.blogspot.com/2009/07/weighed-in.html

I think the same rules are likely to apply for Mr Dascombe; perhaps the financial backing afforded by Andrew 'Bert' Black will lead to a slightly more patient approach? To be fair to Tom, from the outset he has described this first season very much as a learning experience, especially with the laying of new gallops at Manor House Stables.

My own interpretation is that Tom is unlikely to have seen an awful lot of Michael - in a couple of interviews he has talked about Michael's football commitments; his comment on Saturday's Morning Line along the lines of 'he [Michael] seems easy-going' doesn't suggest to me they've spent a deal of time working closely together.

Apparently a number of owners have followed the trainer up from Lambourn so he hasn't put all his eggs in the one basket and in that sense it's a free bet - if he pulls it off, he's quids in and if not, he's still likely to have a fall-back position.

I have to say I thought Tom came across well on TV, an unflappable sort of character who clearly knows the time of day (as well as the expectations of his paymasters). I wish him well but offer a friendly word of advice - it's Michael Owen's mother who fires the bullets!
;)