Talking Horses | Will Hayler

The latest news and best bets in our daily horse racing blog

Mark Johnston can often prove the nemesis of punters when his horses struggle to put two good runs together, but the trainer will be heading to Goodwood this week with hopes high after hitting form in style on Saturday.

Having kept a particularly close eye on Van Ellis this season, I was more easily able to excuse some of his below-par performances, but others of the Johnston team seem to drift in and out of form in a far less predictable manner. That said, Johnston reports that he has been hit with a low-grade virus in the stable for the last two months, and an improved spell of weather can sometimes have a miraculous effect in clearing up such conditions.

The stable's Baileys Jubilee (1.00) bids to continue her return to form at Deauville, where the feature contest is the Group One Prix Rothschild. The John Gosden-trained Elusive Kate (1.30) has had to wait for her favoured good ground this season, but conditions have come right and she makes the most appeal of the three-year-olds in the line-up, all of whom receive an attractive 8lb age allowance from Golden Lilac and Immortal Verse.

Pontefract offers the best of the British action and the Henry Candy-trained Rugged Cross can take the Sky Bet Pomfret Stakes. Well beaten in the Derby last time out, he was probably out of his depth there even if a mile and a half stretched his stamina reserves too far. But back at a mile and with Henry Candy's team in good form, Rugged Cross (3.50) can bounce back.

The nap is Honoured (3.20), who has raised only a very sympathetic 5lb in the weights for his latest success, a contest in which he travelled sweetly throughout and, frankly, was always going to win. The betting market doesn't yet appear to have fully cottoned on to the talents of the trainer Mick Appleby.

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Will Hayler

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Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/blog/2012/jul/29/talking-horses-racing-tips-bets

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