Elas Diamond looks a cut above the rest at Nottingham
Here’s a tip, you can still back Paul Hanagan at 1-7 to win the jockey’s championship. One bookmaker already paid out yesterday so 1-7 has got to be a pretty good price.
Richard Hughes is just seven wins behind Hanagan, but has to serve a week’s ban starting from Saturday for careless riding, surely missing out on too many rides to claim the title.
Even if Hughes was to cut that seven win lead and draw level by Saturday – a highly unlikely prospect –the missed week would give Hanagan enough time to build his lead back up to a comfortable level and Hughes will also miss the final days of the campaign because he will be riding at the Breeders’ Cup meeting in American.
Of course that’s not a given but riding Maharana in the first division of the European Breeders' Fund Maiden Stakes at Nottingham today provides Hanagan with one of his best chances of the day. He finished ninth of 15 in first race and definitely would have learnt from that experience. He did start slowly last time so the presumption is that a smart break should put him in contention.
Newcomer Raajih could be a threat here, but with Maharana one race better off, looks the safer bet.
The second division of this race looks Elas Diamond‘s for the taking. She finished just a length second on her debut to Khawlah who has shown decent form since, finishing five lengths third to Havant in a Group Three at Newmarket earlier this month.
That race will have given her the much-needed experience she needs to go on and win a race. Add the fact that she’s the daughter of Lancashire Oaks winner Ela Athena and jockey Ryan Moore on board Elas Diamond looks the nap of the day.
Race of the day has to be the Denman - Building For You - Handicap with Pyschic Ability looking like the class of the field. Four wins from six starts suggests the form and class is there to beat this field. He won at Sandown last time beating Kings Destiny who has since gone on to win a handicap at Ascot.
Only 2lb worse off today which looks as if it won’t be enough to stop him from claiming another win for the Saeed bin Suroor and Frankie Dettori combination.
The main threat comes from Jo’burg who ran pretty well in the Cambridgeshire finishing ninth. He’s carrying 2lb less this time and if he continues the form from that race could upset the Godolphin favourite.
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