The EquiAnalytix team is back today to provide a very special blog post to support the 2024 Glass Times Race Day at Haydock. This popular Glass Times Race Day fixture is an ideal day out for both social outings and racing enthusiasts.
Therefore, what better way to enjoy the afternoon than with the help of EquiAnalytix’s leading data insights?!
Race 1: Yale Fillies’ Handicap
We begin the afternoon with the Yale Fillies’ Handicap, a contest over the 1m 4f trip for horses up to a mark of 75…. and this one looks particularly uncompetitive!
Race Analysis:
The reason I say that is due to the fact it contains a horse called QUIETNESS. This filly has been very progressive so far this season, winning on her last two racecourse appearances at Windsor and Salisbury, and in the process earned very solid ratings of 109 and 113 respectively. A quick glance at the ratings table will clearly show that those figures are far in advance of anything else in opposition today and she will take some beating, albeit she is an incredibly short price now.
Race 2: Selecta Systems Dave Nelson Memorial Apprentice Training Series Handicap (Part Of The RE Series)
Up next we drop back to the minimum 5f trip for a very competitive looking sprint contest for Apprentice jockeys.
Race Analysis:
The best place to begin here is atop of the ratings table with FAHRENHEIT SEVEN. This Mark Usher trained son of Showcasing will be making only his 5th start this afternoon after running respectively on handicap debut last time. The team elected to step the horse up to 6f at Ffos Las and he ran well to finish 3rd, but it was the rating earned of 141 that really catches the eye. That level of performance here would see him ultra competitive and he looks to have a great each way chance.
Of the rest, I would expect NOGOS DREAM to run well off the back of a good 2nd place finish last time, but this horse is now 1 win from 15 starts and so you pretty much know what to expect from him. The same however can’t be said for DASHING HARRY who also boasts a very unexposed profile. Having only had 5 starts, he won on heavy going at Bath back in October last year and has ran well enough on his two starts this season. Whilst his ratings wouldn’t be a standout here, his breeding is, and regular readers of our blog will understand the emphasis we put on our breeding data. This horse is a son of Harry Angel who continues to put bundles of speed into his offspring, and out of the well-named Meghan Sparkle by Showcasing, it suggests DASHING HARRY can be progressive.
Race 3: Glow Heated Glass By Tuffx Irish EBF Maiden Fillies’ Stakes (GBB Race)
Race 3 we have a 2yo race over the 6f trip, and with so many of these making their racecourse debuts… it’s time to dive into those pedigrees!
Race Analysis:
We first must begin with the only horse in the race to have a handicap mark, MISS HATHAWAY. This horse is a daughter of Bungle Inthejungle and has had 3 runs in quick succession, finishing 4th, 4th and 2nd. Her ratings do suggest a good level of ability, with figures of 103, 106 and 161 clearly showing a progressive profile. Under any other circumstances, she would be a very strong selection from the data but there is just a niggle that given her exposed profile, this race is set up for a newcomer to make a big impression on debut.
And equipped with our industry-leading breeding data, it suggests that horse may well be ECOLOGY. This chestnut filly is a clear standout in terms of pedigree. She is by the current leading sire Earthlight, but more impressively is out of a mare called Ventura Mist who herself was a very good 2yo. This mare won 3 times as a 2yo, including a Listed contest at Redcar in 2013 and reached a very high rating of 97. Therefore, not only is ECOLOGY bred to be speedy, she is also bred to be very good and can make a big impression here on debut for the Sangster team.
Race 4: Supalite Group Handicap
Up next we have the Supalite Group Handicap, the feature race on the card and what looks a very competitive 6f contest.
Race Analysis:
In truth, this race looks a really tough one to breakdown and a glance below at the data will help you understand why. Several of these in good form and boast some very competitive ratings. ALBERT CEE arrives off the back of a good victory at Chepstow and with a rating of 134 for that effort will prove popular on the data. However, the data suggests there are two horses to focus in on here for two very different reasons.
The first is RAATEA for the Julie Camacho team. This horse has form figures of 0, 6 and 7 for his last 3 outings and usually that wouldn’t inspire a great deal of confidence. But this horse a particular fondness for Haydock and a LTO rating of 138 shows the horse is coming back into form. He is now lurking off a handicap mark some 3lbs below his last winning mark, and if handling today’s slightly slower conditions he could run a very big race at a price.
The second consideration here is the Andrew Balding trained KINGS VANITY. This horse inspires even less confidence based on his last 3 runs but it’s his breeding here that leaves the data wondering if more is to come. Having only had the 6 starts, this horse looked very promising on the All-Weather surface, earning an opening handicap mark of 84. However since then he’s proven disappointing, finishing 10th at Kempton, 17th at Ascot and most recently 9th at Windsor. Those efforts will of course need improving upon, but when you consider he is a son of Kingman who’s offspring continue to operate at a very high level, and is out of a mare called Poet’s Vanity who herself was a 104-rated sprinter, KINGS VANITY may well come good at some point.
Race 5: ODL Queen Of The North EBF Novice Stakes (GBB Race)
Our penultimate contest is the very well-named ODL Queen Of The North Novice Stakes, another 2yo contest which features a strong field of 9.
Race Analysis:
With it being another 2yo race, the focus again will be on our breeding data which can often unlock a much greater deal of insight on these lightly-raced, young horses. When diving into these pedigrees you are faced with the conundrum of choosing between the two Godolphin horses, CAVALLO BAY and OLYMPUS POINT. The latter is also sired by Earthlight who we spoke so fondly about in our earlier 2yo contest, but CAVALLO BAY is out of a very high class mare called La Peloso who reached a mark of 106 at her peak. Despite OLYMPUS POINT‘s dam operating at a much lower level, Earthlight progeny continue to impress us and he has the benefit of this being his racecourse debut.
For those looking to split them, good luck to you… perhaps it’s a race to utilise a revere forecast
Race 6: Eurocell ‘Grow With Us’ Handicap
Our 6th and final race of the afternoon is the Eurocell ‘Grow With Us’ handicap, a 7f Class 5 contest.
Race Analysis:
We close the day with a fairly competitive race here but admittedly, there is really only one horse you can pick out from the data, KODE SECRET. This horse has proven a revelation in handicaps this season, winning his last two and in the process earning huge ratings of 118 and 151. His most recent win has had the form franked, with the 2nd horse winning on his next outing. All of this points towards it being very difficult to oppose this hat-trick seeking horse, who can give Tim Easterby a winner to end the day.
Final Thoughts
And with that, we come to the end of the 2024 Glass Times Race Day at Haydock and I hope you have enjoyed reading our race-by-race guide for the afternoon.
The analysis throughout our series of blog posts over the last 12 months has demonstrated just how powerful the EquiAnalytix data is, and I sincerely hope that it’s been of interest this afternoon. I continue to look at ways to introduce new users to this very cutting-edge platform for horse racing analysis and so if you’re interested in learning more, please do not hesitate to reach out.