This Weekends Racing – Reviewed by The Sportsman Racing

There are plenty of optimistic trainers as the turf springs into life with Jamie Osborne among them. The Lambourn based handler has two runners in the field with Rakaan and Field Of Dream though hopes seem to lie with the latter. Osborne has been in flying form on the all-weather over the winter celebrating 16 winners which leaves him just eight short of his total wins in 2011. Field Of Dream has been gelded since moving to Osborne and that’s helped to raise his game with concentration levels higher and he has an each-way chance. From the main market players the one I like is Roger Varian’s Eton Forever who missed out on last year’s Lincoln but gained compensation when landing the consolation Spring Mile race with a career best showing. Eton Forever is lightly raced having run only four times on the track last term and looks to remain on a decent handicap mark. Away from Saturday’s key meeting the all-weather racing continues and Alben Star from the Richard Fahey stable looks to have a big chance of winning the Class 4 conditions stakes at 4.05. Alben Star was rated the best two-year old in the Fahey yard in 2010 when he won two from three races. The horse picked up a bad injury in 2011, decimating his campaign and he only returned to training late last year. Alben Star has run four times in 2012 winning twice and having failed to finish outside the top two in all four contests. His handicap mark has risen but he still looks to be on a decent weight and can progress further with the step up to 7f looking sure to suit on breeding. Over the sticks in Uttoxeter’s 5.45 the J.P. McManus owned It’s Like That was an eyecatcher on his last appearance in November when second in a class 4 handicap chase. Stablemate Valley View beat It’s Like That on the day but the latter was pleasing with the way he stuck to his task. Although now in the veteran stage of his career as an eleven-year old, this strong gelding is capable of familiarising himself with the winners enclosure again.]]>