FIELD CUT UP AT WARWICK FARM BUT PUNTERS STILL FACE A DIFFICULT PUZZLE

By Graham Potter | Wednesday, June 30, 2021

Fields have cut up pretty badly for the meeting at Warwick Farm today where the track rating is listed as a heavy 9.

There have been no less than thirty-seven scratchings, leaving just fifty-nine runners to contest the seven races with only one race (race 6) having a double figure runner participation.

The relatively small fields don’t necessarily make the puzzle any easier for punters to piece together though.

There is only one standout, according to the those who frame the betting markets, and that is the John O’Shea trained Promise Of Success ($1.50), but punters will have to wait until the very last race to see if this last start winner, whose latest success came over today’s distance at this track on heavy going, justifies the short price about his chances.

Promise Of Success is second-up and Tommy Berry has the ride.

At the other end of the meeting trainer Mark Newnham could turn out to be a punter’s friend. Newnham saddles the two favourites on the card (at the time of writing). In the first race the stable sends out Sneaky Paige ($3) … a Deep Field filly on debut after winning a trial … and Dragonstone ($3.10) in the second race, who will be looking to improve on his third place first time out.

Apart from the very short-priced Promise Of Success in race seven though, all of the other races have an open appearance with many horses untried on a heavy surface.

Arguably the most notable of those who have shown a confirmed liking for a heavy surface … ie two wins or more … include No Laughing Matter (race 3 – three wins from four starts on a heavy surface), Off Shaw (race 5 – with three wins from six starts on a heavy surface), Raison D’Etra (race 6 – who has two wins on a heavy surface), Snitzari (race 6 – who is two from two on a heavy surface) and Undoubted (Race 7 – who has two wins from six starts on a heavy surface).

Several runners have a win or have placed on a heavy track but have yet to confirm that particular winning prowess.

Whether these runners can live up to their wet weather form and whether there is a mudlark waiting to emerge from those runners who have yet to race on a heavy track will be one of the points of focus on a day of racing which should prove to be very interesting indeed.