Southwell Betting - Tuesday 13th January 2015

1.45 Southwell: Class 6 Handicap, 1m - A poor low grade Handicap with plenty of those usual old warriors going to post here. However the Jarvis filly Ametrine is a bit of an exception and an interesting runner. On her Southwell debut today, you can't be sure if she takes to the surface. More often than not horses struggle on their fibresand debut. I believe the pro's for Ametrine's case outweigh this negative fact, though. This now four year old filly showed a bit of promise as a juvenile, however wasn't quite able to progress an awful lot last season. She moved quickly into low grade Handicaps were she finished third on two occasions, and both forms look at least useful, taken into account that the horses she finished behind did well in the aftermath. 

She ended the year with a poor showing in July and is now back on track after a half year long break. Fitness is a question mark, but Fanning booked and first time blinkers applied, suggest that she is not here for a lazy jog around the course. Ametrine is actually pretty well bred, even though she clearly isn't living up to her pedigree. However off her current mark, she may well have still a bit more to offer, at least in such a poor field. She is still lightly raced, has the potential to improve and the drop in trip to one mile could suit her extremely well I feel. For that reason I'll give her a chance for a bigger price today. 

Ametrine @ 9/1 Coral - 5pts win

2.50 Southwell: Maiden, 6f - This is a very interesting filly going back into maiden company after a couple of decent outings as a juvenile last year. She finished a very fair third here at Southwell over course and distance back in December when last seen in a hot little handicap. She was eased down in the final furlong when it became apparent that she wouldn't be able to challenge for the win, but was only three lengths beaten behind a now 80 rated individual. Seychelloise clearly improved in this run compared to her Southwell debut outing and I believe with this experience under her belt she is poised to do very well on this fibresand surface. She was clearly keen to get on with things here the last time, unlike when she got a first taste of the deep Southwell surface. 

This filly is pretty nicely bred and should have naturally a bit of talent, she looked small and light last year though and on pedigree is expected to improve with age and experience. So turning three years of age now, one would hope she can leave last seasons forms behind. Her mark of 65 is low enough and her profile suggests that a run of subsequent wins is not unlikely, given that she is trained by a certain Mr. Prescott - even though this doesn't really matter in a maiden today. Interestingly Seychelloise is fitted with blinkers for the first time. Maybe she lacked a bit of focus when it really mattered in her starts so far. So this may help her to finish her races better. I suspect that connections are very keen to get a maiden win on the boards with her, as she could be an interesting broodmare prospect in the future, given her breeding. But today is what matters first, and in this not overly exciting field, Seychelloise should have too much on her plate for her rivals.

Seychelloise @ 9/4 Coral - 10pts win


--------------------------------

We had a nice winner on Sunday on Chelmsford City's opening card. Tempus Temporis (7/2) won really well his race by five lengths, pulling clear once unleashed in the home straight. He produced a nice little turn of foot and let his well fancied stable mate far behind. In general it was a very nice day of racing at Chelmsford. A bit of kickback, yes, but this should get better in time. Otherwise the track reminds me very much of Wolverhampton in terms of its layout, even though it seems you need even more a horse with the ability to change gear here, due to the very sharp home bend and the short run-in.

[Photo: www.Guardian.com]