18:15 Chelmsford City

Thursday 1 May 2025

All17:4518:1518:4519:1519:4520:1520:45

Racing Value At bet365 Novice Stakes (GBB Race)

Off time: 18:17 | Winning time: 2m 5.95s

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Selected odds by:

(1)

Herbygoesbananas¹⁵⁹

Age: 4| Weight: 10-2| J: Charles Bishop| T: C Gordon

80/1

Overcame inexperience to make a winning debut in a Huntingdon bumper in November. Half-brother to a useful Flat winner and should have a future on the level.

Form:

(10)

Senor Cortez¹⁰

Age: 4| Weight: 10-2| J: Lewis Edmunds| T: R Eddery

300/1

Modest form in bumpers and well beaten on recent Kempton Flat debut.

Form: 0

(7)

Altareq¹⁵

Age: 3| Weight: 9-1| J: Jim Crowley| T: J & T Gosden

6/4

11/2, sixth of 15 in maiden at Newmarket (1m, good) on debut 15 days ago. Up in trip. Looks sure to improve with the step up to 1¼m likely to suit.

Form: 6

(11)

Bedford^h1

Age: 3| Weight: 9-1| J: Rhys Clutterbuck| T: A King

50/1

Earthlight gelding. Closely related to smart 7f-1m winner Positive Impact and 1m winner Desert Rhapsody. Dam winner up to 1m (2-y-o 6f winner). Wears hood on debut. Kurakka has to be considered the yard first string unless the betting hints otherwise.

Form:

(9)

Belaya River²²

Age: 3| Weight: 9-1| J: Mikkel Mortensen⁽⁵⁾| T: C Fellowes

125/1

15/2, very green when remote fourth of 7 in maiden at Nottingham (1¼m, good) on debut 22 days ago. Needs to have come on a lot.

Form: 4

(3)

Desert Shadow⁹⁰

Age: 3| Weight: 9-1| J: Tom Marquand| T: S bin Suroor

4/1

Ran twice in Dubai in January, showing fair form when seventh in a very useful contest on the second occasion. Likely capable of better.

Form: 57

(2)

Kurakka¹⁴⁸

Age: 3| Weight: 9-1| J: Rossa Ryan| T: A King

3/1

Promise when reaching the frame in maiden/novice events over 1m at Kempton at the end of 2024. Big player up in trip on return.

Form: 43-

(4)

Plymouth Brethren¹⁵

Age: 3| Weight: 9-1| J: Harry Davies| T: James Owen

40/1

Twice-raced maiden, going backwards from AW debut when sixth of 9 in novice at Newmarket (1¼m, good, 22/1) 15 days ago.

Form: 46

(6)

Prepare To Strike²⁴

Age: 3| Weight: 9-1| J: J Mitchell| T: S & E Crisford

9/2

Twice-raced maiden. Fifth of 14 in maiden (11/1) at Kempton (1m) 24 days ago. Up in trip.

Form: 35

(8)

Respond^h1

Age: 3| Weight: 9-1| J: Jason Watson| T: A M Balding

14/1

130,000 gns Ghaiyyath gelding. Dam, 11.4f/12.4f winner, half-sister to smart winner up to 1¼m One Voice. Wears hood on debut. Leading stable continues in form and he needs monitoring in the betting.

Form:

(5)

Savvy Stellar²⁰²

Age: 3| Weight: 9-1| J: Daniel Muscutt| T: S Woods

200/1

66/1, last of 12 in novice at Kempton (1m) on debut. Off 6 months. Up in trip.

Form: 0-

Forecasts

Altareq (6/4), Kurakka (3/1), Desert Shadow (4/1), Prepare To Strike (9/2), Respond (14/1), Plymouth Brethren (40/1), Bedford (50/1), Herbygoesbananas (80/1), Belaya River (125/1), Savvy Stellar (200/1), Senor Cortez (300/1)

ALTAREQ shaped promisingly in the Wood Ditton at the Newmarket Craven meeting and is narrowly preferred to the returning Kurakka, with both colts promising to benefit from the step up to 1¼m. Desert Shadow also showed enough in Dubai earlier in the year to think he could make an impact in a race like this.