Andrew Asquith’s Paddy Power Sunday View column put Altareq and Kylian forward for Ayr and Southwell, giving bettors two named bets with prices and race times attached. Altareq was advised for the 15:15 at 2/1, while Kylian was set for the 16:15 at 9/4.
Altareq for Ayr
Asquith said, “I do have a strong fancy at Ayr” before landing on Altareq as a 2pts win bet in the 15:15. He also called it “This looks an excellent bit of placing.”
The case for the Jim Goldie-trained runner was built on recent progress and the return to a trip that suits. Altareq had improved with each run for John & Thady Gosden last season, was third at Carlisle 11 days before the column, and was not raised in the weights for that latest effort.
Kylian at Southwell
Kylian was Asquith’s 1pt win bet in the 16:15 Southwell at 9/4. Jamie Spencer was due to ride him for the first time, with the horse kept on the same headgear after blinkers were reapplied at Newcastle.
That selection leaned on a smaller handicap mark and a return to form angles that are easy to price up. Kylian was 8lb lower than when he started the year, had not shaped badly on his first start for Robert Cowell over the course and distance earlier this year, and had finished eighth of 14 runners at Newcastle last time.
Two bets, one column
The contrast in the two picks was straightforward. Altareq came in as the better-placed horse in an apparently suitable setup, while Kylian was the one Asquith still viewed as having more in hand than his recent finishing position suggested, even after that eighth of 14 at Newcastle.
For bettors following the column, the practical takeaway was immediate: one horse at Ayr with a 2pts win recommendation and one at Southwell with a 1pt win recommendation, both published before Sunday’s races. The numbers were the point, and the prices set the terms.
