Saturday 6th September 2014

Two selections for Saturday. 

Please note we will not be betting tomorrow: next horse racing e-mail will be on Monday (Football selections will be sent later today).

2.20 Kempton Battalion 5pts win @ 12/1 (Generally guaranteed)

Battalion looked at least pattern class at the start of the season but has disappointed on his last two starts. He has been given a decent break since and has gone well fresh in the past, which makes me interested in him at a double figure price here. He shouldn't face any competition for the lead in this field and in recent meetings, front runners have performed quite well. This race will suit his style and the big question is whether polytrack is a surface he will take too. He is the one horse in this line up who could improve quite a bit from his current rating and he retains Group 1 and Group 2 entries this autumn. Tom Queally rides this track well and we'll back him win only with seven lining up.

2.55 Kempton Musaddas 5pts win @ 8/1 (Generally guaranteed)

Saeed Bin Suroor is probably the best trainer of polytrack horses around these days, especially at Kempton where he boasts a pretty incredible 28% strike rate with all horses returning a level stakes profit of +41.41 to the unit stake. He has every chance of winning the London Mile here with Musaddas, who looks well handicapped off OR86. He is yet to win on polytrack and it would be possible to accuse him of being a bit of a twicer, but he needs a strongly run race to show his best and he doesn't always get that here. Sixteen runners in this mile handicap should help in that regard today, and I think his recent third behind Sloane Avenue could be very strong form. He gave two very unexposed three year olds 6lb and finished his race off well enough to suggest there is more improvement in him. Connections have also removed the hood which I feel is key. He hasn't always looked the most focused and the hood might just have relaxed him too much. He has an action tailor made for this surface and I think if he puts it all in, he can land this valuable handicap at a decent price. Again we'll play win only.

Profit & loss: day: -10.00 / month: +26.00 / year: +376.05