27-Feb-2010

The other horse in whom I am interested (as well as Kilcrea Castle) at this stage is Razor Royale at 33/1. That is far too big. He was just coming back on the bridle in Monkerhostin’s race at Sandown last time, and looked certain to be involved when a bad mistake at the second of the Railway Fences – which went largely unnoticed and uncommented upon by most – effectively ended all chance. He has been dropped 2lb for that, which leaves him on a nice racing weight of 10st 5lb for Saturday. He has been running really well over two and a half miles since November, he was second in the Boylesports behind Poquelin, and was just done for pace behind Can’t Buy Time back over the same course and distance on New Year’s Day, yet you know that he is a better horse over three miles. The form of his 20-length defeat of The Sawyer, in the amateur riders’ race at Cheltenham’s October meeting on his last run over three miles before Sandown, reads even better now in the light of the runner-up’s exploits since.

He has never run at Kempton before, most of his runs have been at Cheltenham, but he did run out an easy winner of a bumper at right-handed Perth. He is only eight – the same age as Kilcrea Castle and the same age as the last three winners of this race – he has raced just nine times over fences and he is still progressive. Also, crucially, signs are that the Twiston-Davies horses are coming right back to form – he had a winner on Saturday and another winner yesterday – as they almost always do around this time of year. Razor Royale is potentially a fair bit better than his current handicap rating of 141, and could far out-perform his current odds of 33/1. He is an each-way bet at this stage at ¼ the odds 1,2,3,4 a place.

RAZOR ROYALE WON (ADV 33/1, SP 11/1)