Raasel value to repeat last year’s heroics

TWO of the other televised races at Haydock on Saturday are on the sprint track, which should fill ante-post punters with dread considering what happened on Temple Stakes day.

Although the track had been heavily watered it seemed they managed to miss a bit and if you didn’t race near the stands’ rail you effectively had no chance.

You could obviously wait until the final declarations are made on Thursday, but there’s no guarantee the bias will continue, and with the form that day not worth the paper it’s written on I’m inclined to give Raasel another chance in the Listed Achilles Stakes, a race he won last year.

Raasel was a big drifter in the Temple Stakes, having been drawn in stall four (first four home were 10-13-14-11), and he was continually carried across the track to his left, eventually finishing near the far rail.

If you consign that piece of form to the dustbin, he has to offer some value in this much weaker race as he was an excellent fourth in the Palace House at Newmarket the time before on soft ground (has won on it, but has considerably better form on faster) and he beat a horse rated far higher than any of these rivals in the race 12 months ago.

It’s 4-1 the field for the Listed Lester Piggott Stakes, and it really is a tight betting heat.

Eternal Pearl and Mimikyu are the two form fillies, but I was most interested in the Modaara, who is clearly well regarded by Roger Varian, having put her in the Hardwicke at Royal Ascot despite the fact she has run only in novice company against weak rivals, including when dotting up by 13 lengths on her return.

She is a sister to Benbatl, so certainly has the pedigree, but even at best odds the bookies are playing it pretty safe, and as I couldn’t find any who were obviously unlikely to run, I think it’s best to wait until the final declarations.