Bet of the day: Knight Owl to score SIS Handicap at Leicester for Fanshawe
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Coral’s bet of the day
- Knight Owl gets good to soft ground he runs best on at Leicester
- Handler Fanshawe with close to 25 per cent strike rate for last fortnight
- Newmarket win in April showed a mark of 94 not beyond selection
Knight Owl odds worth a punt in SIS Handicap
Leicester’s flat card this Monday contains two class 2 handicap contests, and in the first of those (15:15) Knight Owl odds appeal for victory over 1m.
Trained by James Fanshawe, the six-year-old gelding has two victories and a second in five runs during the last 12 months.
Knight Owl ran out a half-a-length winner of the Suffolk Stakes at Newmarket back in April in this class.
The handicapper put him up first 3lb and then a further 8lb for subsequent runs at Yarmouth and Ripon, but a short-head defeat by Treasury Notes in the latter hinted he could cope with the extra weight. This is because jockey George Wood offsets 5lb with his claim.
Just headed at the post in the Rowels Handicap, Knight Owl then found the massive field in the Cambridgeshire Handicap on his return to Newmarket not to his liking last time out.
Fanshawe has team in-form
Punters should not be discouraged from the selection, however, because handler Fanshawe has his stable in fairly fine fettle with an almost 25 per cent strike rate in the last two weeks.
His yard saddled the winner of a wide-open apprentice handicap on Racing Post Trophy day at Doncaster this past Saturday. Wood partnered King Of Naples to that success, and he’s also on a 25 per cent strike rate in the saddle over the last seven days.
An official mark of 94 should not be beyond Knight Owl, with other market principals leaving a lot to be desired.
Beach Bar is on an 11-race winless run, though his last success came over course and distance. Overnight favourite El Vip, meanwhile, has been mounted by three different jockeys in as many outings for Luca Cumani.
Highland Colori carries top weight – a full 10lb more than when last successful. Finn Class likes firmer ground than he’ll get at Leicester, so that leaves Knight Owl with every chance of scoring here.
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