THE star of the show at Chelmsford City Racecourse's much anticipated Sunday meeting today isn't any of the horses running, but multiple Group 1-winning jockey Jamie Spencer, whose success has been achieved all over the world.
Spencer booted home 23 winners from 90 rides at Great Leighs between its original opening in April 2008 and closure in January 2009. It's great for the track to have him riding, but unfortunately I don't fancy any of his rides.
Logorrheic has a good chance in the 1.50pm race, the Roundbush Green Handicap for three-year-olds over a mile. He's only raced twice, but won the second time at Kempton over this distance and the second and third in that race have won since. Golden Highway, who made a successful debut here on the evening of January 22, is expected to give the selection most to do.
Exentricity is expected to go close in the opening maiden fillies' stakes over six furlongs at 1.15pm. She ran well over seven at Kempton last time, and is expected to be suited by the drop in trip. The Spencer-ridden Chasing Rubies is the danger.
No horse has yet won from a draw wider than six in one-mile races since the track reopened, so it could be argued that Miami Gator was beaten before the stalls opened in the race won by Gracefilly on January 22.
Starting well from the nine-box and eventually making it over to the inside rail but, having been pushed along on the bend, fading from contention inside the last furlong. He's back over the mile in the 2.20pm race and has a more favourable stall four this time.
In the five-furlong handicap at 2.50pm Royal Acquisition is a tentative choice to overturn the form with Dynamo Walt from the similar race on last week's evening card here.
The latter will need to improve as he's 9lbs worse off at the weights in this race, having been put up to a handicap rating of 79, and Royal Acquisition used up a bit too much energy than was ideal in the early stages of the race through being slightly slow to start then sent through to lead, in front by the bend and having little left in the final 150 yards
Karam Albaari has a good chance in the one-mile five-furlong handicap at 3.5pm. He raced over two miles at last Thursday night's meeting and did well, held up and making good ground inside the last five furlongs but unable to match the winner Keep Kicking in the last hundred yards.
TIPS
1.15 Exentricity
1.50 Logorrheic (nap)
2.20 Miami Gator
2.50 Royal Acquisition
3.20 Kodafine
3.50 Karam Albaari (next best)
4.20 George Baker
