Desperate Dan looks just dandy
Brighton punters can pay for their drinks by latching on to Desperate Dan in Friday’s Tarpan Vodka Selling Stakes at 3.30pm. Although this is a very low-grade affair, Andrew Haynes nine-year-old is officially rated the best horse in the race, and by some margin. He comes here in good form too, having won twice in his last four attempts, the last of which came on his penultimate outing in an ordinary handicap at Yarmouth.
Having been last early on, he came with a terrific late run under a powerful ride from Jamie Spencer, to grab the lead in the final 100 yards. Staying on well, he had almost two lengths to spare at the line, over his nearest challenger Wreningham. He turned in a very creditable effort in a better race at Bath on his final start. Again held up in rear, he made good headway two furlongs out but could not quite get on terms with the eventual winner Comptonspirit and had to settle for second place.
Dropped back into selling class here, he will find this company far easier to handle and it is worth noting that the last time he competed at this level, he made light work of the opposition at Redcar, comfortably beating Foreign Rhythm by a length. Although he looks likely to start as the favourite, he is very difficult to oppose against such weak opposition and should win here without too much fuss. It is worth noting that the market leader has won the last three runnings of this event and therefore statistics are in his favour.
If Desperate Dan has an off day, then the one to take advantage is likely to be the David Evans trained Timeteam. He has had a very busy season so far, recording three victories along the way, of which two came at this level at Windsor and then at Nottingham at the beginning of July. On that occasion, he completely missed the break, which left him with a lot of work to do. However, he picked really well inside the last furlong, coming through to snatch victory in the final few strides, and actually won going away from Frontline Boy.
Even so, if you follow Timeteam, then you take a big risk just to get a run for your money as a look through his profile shows a poor temperament, as he is often reluctant to race. On many of his appearances, this has undoubtedly cost him dearly as he loses far too much ground at the start. Therefore, against an opponent rated four pounds higher, he is easy to oppose.
Timeteam is not David Evans only runner though as he has also entered Liberty Trail, who likes to force the pace and therefore is a little more reliable than his stablemate. Whether he is good enough to win though is another question altogether, though he has won at a higher level in the past. His last success came back in 2009 where he made all the running to land a Redcar handicap, beating Jimwill by a length. However, in numerous runs since, he has failed to achieve the same level of form and recent outings do not bode well for his chances.
In fact, his performance last time in a claiming race at Epsom was possibly his worst. Having led in the early stages, he began to drop away at the two-furlong marker and eventually finished a well-beaten last of eight to Orpenindeed. That effort hardly inspires confidence and possibly the only positive note to consider is that the drop back in trip here should suit his style of running.
Tags: