FAR be it from me to cast any aspersions, but surely anyone who enjoys high-profile handicaps over five furlongs must be something of a masochist.
Don't get the wrong idea, the races themselves seldom fail to grab you by the hollyhocks, but as much as they provide compelling, edge-of-the seat excitement, how on earth is anyone who doesn't boast an IQ a few notches above Einstein supposed to wor
k them out beforehand?
Sprinters are a sociable bunch who tend to meet each other on a regular basis, have a quick chin-wag down at the start, ask how the folks are doing and then, in time honoured fashion, beat each other on an equally regular basis.
Given they've only got about a minute to strut their stuff, that may be no great surprise as even in 60 seconds, a lot of things can go wrong, especially at the rate of knots they're travelling at, and if you do make a mistake at that speed, there's hardly a lot of time to redress the balance.
Dally in the stalls a fraction too long, have not quite the plum draw a rival enjoys, or hit a spot of traffic trouble at just the wrong time and suddenly, you need snookers to have any chance of winning.
Hopefully, Fathom Five will encounter no such impediments at Musselburgh this afternoon when Bryan Smart's gelding bids to land the £60,000 National Express York Sprint Cup. The five-year-old hasn't won in half-a-dozen attempts this season, but the selection's lack of success needn't be the great no-no it might appear.
On his latest start, Fathom Five finished sixth to one of today's rivals, Hogmaneigh, in Doncaster's Portland Handicap, a race that also saw River Falcon, Siren's Gift, and Cheveton, who all re-oppose here, finish in front of the selection.
There are, however, grounds for believing the extra few yards over which the Portland is run was too much for an out-and-out flying machine like Fathom Five and at a venue where speed is of the essence, and at which he scored on his debut as a juvenile, he's fancied to wreak his revenge.
He will, though, have to be at the top of his game to do so as the 17-strong field contains plenty who are capable of giving him a run for his money, Hogmaneigh, Siren's Gift, and River Falcon just three of the more obvious dangers.
For those who believe in happy endings, the first named is the one to be on as the Ayrshire-owned runner will be ridden by apprentice Kelly Harrison, who was denied the biggest success of her career last week when she and Jim Goldie's Nanton were beaten into second place in the Cambridgeshire by Tazeez.
The rest of the Musselburgh fixture provides the perfect back-up to the main event, with long distance raider Kay Two the one to be on in the opening consolation race.
Having enjoyed a couple of months break, Saleem Golam's mount was last seen out on the Southwell sand but he's equally at home on turf and with that latest run behind him, he should be cherry-ripe for his trip north.
Acropolis may be good enough to defy top-weight for Linda Perratt in the marathon handicap while at the other end of the distance scale, Visterre can again show his liking for the East Lothian venue by landing the nursery.
Mark Johnston runs two newcomers in the maiden and Matraash will hopefully prove the better of the pair while Goldie's Dar Es Salaam can strike a blow for the home team in the finale.
The famous blue silks of Godolphin aren't seen on a regular basis at Musselburgh so the appearance of With Interest is sure to spark interest among punters albeit Ted Durcan's partner is liable to go off at pretty skimpy odds.
For those searching for a little more value, how about stablemate Anmar at Ascot? The youngster won a maiden at Sandown before finishing runner-up on his next start.
With Godolphin flying, Anmar looks a decent nap at a decent price.
The full article contains 703 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
