Graeme Rodway's play of the day at Kempton
City House
6.40 Kempton
This 6f handicap is a competitive sprint for three-year-olds and there are several who appear to have sound claims. Rosa Applause, Jimmy Speaking and Blue Day all come into the race in top form and are likely to be towards the head of the market, but I prefer another.
The one to be on is City House, who has form figures reading 21 on the all-weather and runs on an artificial surface for the first time this season. That might prove to be key.
His form figures on turf read a much more moderate 4090, so it could be that City House simply doesn’t act on grass, and that makes it easy to dismiss his two runs this campaign.
However, he showed enough to suggest he hasn’t totally lost the plot when beaten four and a quarter lengths into ninth in a hot race at Newmarket on his seasonal return in April, and will have a chance if he can reproduce the form he showed on a sand surface last autumn.
He was a big eyecatcher when running on strongly for second after making a mess of the start in a 6f novice on Tapeta at Wolverhampton in September, and looked even better on Polytrack at this track next time when making a mockery of a mark of 76 by winning his first handicap.
City House slammed his ten rivals by four and three-quarter lengths on that occasion and scythed through them from the back of the field to win going away. It was a remarkable performance that was backed up by a good time for a juvenile, and he went up 13lb as a result.
The handicapper has eased him back down 4lb and he is still 9lb higher than for that last win, but he scored in the manner of a horse who is capable of winning many more races this season and James Fanshawe has booked Billy Loughnane to ride. That is another positive.
Read this next . . .
Looking for free bets? Racing Post have got the best offers, all in one place. Visit racingpost.com/freebets to find out more.
Published on inPlay of the day
Last updated
Copy