Stan James Laurels preview: part three
Belle Vue will host the opening six heats of the Stan James Laurels on Thursday night. Bucks Yahoo is the favourite to win the Laurels with 13-2 odds, and will start his journey in heat five.
Here we take a look at the fifth and sixth heats.
Heat five
Was Not Me is the only hound that could really challenge Yahoo in heat number five. She’ll race from trap one and is 20-1 to win the Laurels. She won her last race and hasn’t finished lower than third in her past four.
In trap two is Little Sensation. Sensation is not a good selection for punters after finishing in fifth in his last race, 12 lengths back of the winner.
Jolly Poacher won a 285m race last Saturday, and a 450m race in July, but has raced only once since early August.
In the fourth trap is Bowtime Lefty. He’s won eight of his last nine races, but has not faced hounds of Bucks Yahoo’s quality. Still he could finish high enough to advance to the second round.
Bucks Yahoo drew the fifth trap. He often gets off to slow starts, but usually recovers very well. He’s won seven of his past nine. He looked bad in the E.A. Derby Trail Stakes on August 25 against Fear Zafonic, but it is only one black mark on an otherwise
excellent career.
In trap six is Sunoak Crystal; she finished in last in her last race, but has been known to win once in a while. That once in a while won’t be Thursday night though.
Heat six
Elwick Chris is 20-1 to win the Laurels, and will go from trap one in heat six. He’s taken four of his last five, and took second in the other race, losing only by a neck. Look for Chris to still be racing in the second round.
Loughbeag Roopy hasn’t won in his last four races, but held the lead at points in three of those races. He’ll go from trap two.
In trap three is Cape Time. He had won two in a row before finishing last in his last race on 31 August. Whether he’s back in form is yet to be seen.
Reluctant will be the race favourite in this one with 16-1 odds to win the Laurels. He rebounded from three straight losses to Fear Zafonic to win last Thursday by four lengths. He also won the race right before his three straight losses to Zafonic. With
no Fear in this one, he should have little trouble regaining his winning form.
In the fifth trap is Craighall Horse, who has finished in second place in four of his last five races. Horse could finish second in this one too if he can get off to a start that’s better than his usual ones.
Mercurial Star will go from trap number six. He’s won three of his last four from traps one, three, and five. He’s proven versatile, but he is a middle runner that has not yet raced from the sixth trap.
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