Horse racing expert Katie Midwinter has highlighted three picks from Warwick, Dundalk, and Kempton for consideration on the Betfair Sportsbook this Wednesday.
- Alan King-trained gelding makes appeal on Warwick chasing debut
- Vanilla Baby can break her maiden at Dundalk
- Formidable filly to bounce back to form at Kempton
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14:10 Warwick – Back Helnwein @ 9/4
- Helnwein (Ire)
- J: Tom Cannon
- T: Alan King
- F: 513/12421-
Alan King-trained Helnwein makes his chasing debut at Warwick following a successful campaign over hurdles last season which culminated in a valuable handicap at Sandown in April. He beat Be Aware on that occasion, a promising young gelding who has since finished second in the Greatwood Hurdle from a mark of 130.
Considering the form of that race has been franked, and his performance represents a high level of ability, Helnwein is worth keeping on side as he embarks on life over fences. He had previously finished second to Booster Bob on heavy ground in a Listed contest last year, with the winner possessing more stamina on the day.
This is a different assignment on a sound surface, however, and, although his rival is better off at the weights this time around, the change in obstacles as well as the ground conditions are in Helnwein’s favour and he can reverse the form.
The yard has a good record in novice chases this season, and with the benefit of previous point-to-point experience, Helnwein can hit the ground running on chase debut.
He finished third to subsequent £400,000 purchase Croke Park in his sole point appearance, a gelding who has since won a Grade Three over hurdles but has shaped as though the best could be yet to come over fences. Following that effort, Helnwein was purchased for £70,000 and he could take a similar route, capable of showing more ability over the larger obstacles.
There is plenty of speed in his pedigree, and he has already shown his capabilities over the minimum trip. His brother Uncle Phil won a Grade Three chase over an extended 2m1f, and their dam Synthe Davis showed ability over 2m.
Under Tom Cannon, Helnwein makes plenty of appeal at odds of 9/4.
15:00 Dundalk – Back Vanilla Baby @ 7/2
- Vanilla Baby (Ire)
- J: M. P. Sheehy
- T: Joseph Patrick O’Brien, Ireland
- F: 3572
On the same mark of 60 as when second over 6f here earlier this month, Twilight Son filly Vanilla Baby can finally break her maiden under Mikey Sheehy in this 7f contest. The step up in trip should be within her capabilities given she finished strongly when last seen and her dam Elysian was most effective over further.
Her dam is out of a Group One winning Danehill mare in Echelon, who is a sister to black-type achieving Provenance and half-sister to Group One winner Integral. Elysian’s maternal grand-dam Exclusive was a Group One winning mare who produced the likes of Group Two winner Chic, narrowly beaten in a Group One.
There is enough quality in the pedigree to suggest Vanilla Baby can improve beyond her current mark of 60, and this extra furlong could allow her to show more ability. Joseph O’Brien has a 31 percent strike-rate in juvenile handicaps this year, and this filly could add to the yard’s tally as she seeks a first career success on her fifth start.
20:00 Kempton – Back Power Of Destiny @ 10/3
- Power Of Destiny
- J: Richard Kingscote
- T: Ralph Beckett
- F: 312206
Making her debut for Ralph Beckett, Power Of Destiny makes plenty of appeal in this 1m3f contest as she bids to reverse form with Blessed Honour who narrowly prevailed when the pair met at Nottingham in June. The winner was in receipt of 7lb on that occasion, whilst the runner-up was coming into the race on the back of a promising fifth to now 101-rated Oxford Comma on debut, and a defeat of now 90-rated Cabrera in a Haydock maiden.
This daughter of Sea The Stars should be suited by the step up in trip and this switch to polytrack could allow her to return to some form following a disappointing effort on heavy ground when last seen.
She had previously been sent off at 9/2 for a competitive York handicap but failed to give her true running, swiftly eased in the straight. She is much better than that performance suggested, as she had shown in the past, and if she can bounce back here, she could be the one to beat.
Her dam Rux Power won at Chelmsford as well as finishing a close second at Kempton, whilst many of her half-siblings, including Fog Of War, Fluctuate, Special Quality and Concise, who won at this track, have all-weather form. Brevity, her dam’s half-sister, won a Listed contest and they are also related to Irish 2000 Guineas winner Indian Haven, as well as Group Two winners Daggers Drawn and Madame Dubois.
Power Of Destiny’s younger half-sister by Too Darn Hot, The Terminus, won her maiden on debut at Kempton, before finishing fifth in Listed company in her only two starts to date, which bodes well for the suitability of their dam’s progeny on this surface.
Under Richard Kingscote, this three-year-old filly could prove worth siding with for a yard who have continued their rich vein of form into November.
