6th-Jun-2014

Almargo is popular now, he has been really well-backed already this morning, but he is still a little over-priced in my book.

A progressive horse on Polytrack this spring, he won three in a row and rose 18lb in the handicap, and he more or less transferred that improvement to turf when running well in a good race at Musselburgh on Good Friday.

He was drawn 12 of 12 that day, and he had to do plenty of running to get over in quite a strongly-run race. Even then he couldn’t get all the way over, he had to sit alongside his stable companion Bow Creek, who didn’t handle the home turn well at all and forced Almargo a little wide. He travelled quite strongly into a narrow lead three furlongs out and, although he couldn’t hold off some well-handicapped horses from a furlong out, he still kept on well to finish fourth.

His Polytrack form was all at up to seven furlongs, and he gave the impression at Musselburgh, and on his most recent run at Chester, that a drop back to a bare seven furlongs on good ground would really suit. After two runs on soft ground, in which he didn’t handle conditions, or didn’t get home, or both, he races today off a mark that is 5lb lower than the mark off which he ran so well at Musselburgh, and that gives him a real chance today.

He is well drawn, he may well be able to lead, and he could be able to last home at Epsom on good ground.

ALMARGO WON (SP 7/1)