NAP of the Day: Mistress can keep it in the family

There are five meetings for punters to enjoy on Monday as the first day of Galway's flagship seven-day festival kicks off. A day later it's the start of Goodwood's five-day Glorious meeting, so this is a cracking time of year for racing fans. 

In Britain, there are four Monday meetings, with Flat action at Ayr, Southwell, Windsor and Wolverhampton. Our Monday NAP comes in the concluding 1m6f handicap at Wolverhampton, where Hughie Morrison saddles a well-bred youngster who bids to break her duck after just a handful of starts.  

21:00 - Wolverhampton Odds

It’s always interesting to note three-year-olds who are entering the staying handicap ranks off low marks against exposed opponents and Post Mistress stands out in this one. 

It’s true another youngster, the in-form Standbackandlook, should have more to offer in such races, but he lacks the same unexposed profile as Post Mistress does and is unlikely to be missed in the market. 

Post Mistress is yet to achieve anything worthwhile on the track, although a glance at her pedigree suggests that is hardly out of the norm for the family. 

The daughter of Postponed’s dam, Quiz Mistress, was a 1m6f Listed winner who recorded a peak Racing Post Rating of 109. With the exception of Post Mistress, Quiz Mistress’s five progeny were all 80 performers on RPRs at worst and that group includes the useful Kyle Of Lochalsh. 

Kyle Of Lochalsh didn’t win until his fifth start and that victory coincided with a first attempt at a staying race. He is rated 28lb higher now and Post Mistress is open to a similar level of improvement, having only hit a peak RPR of 52 on her first five starts. 

The selection steps up an extra four furlongs in distance and would have gained useful experience in two middle-distance handicaps to cope with a task like this. 

It is noteworthy that trainer Hughie Morrison has snapped up top jockey Billy Loughane for the ride. The pair are operating at a 22 per cent strike-rate when teaming up and backing all of their mounts to £1 stakes would have resulted in a tidy £18.75 profit. 

It wouldn’t be a surprise if this youngster, who is the bottomweight here, took her form to a whole new level and strung together a little sequence in staying handicaps after this.  

This is a particularly weak one and she can make hay with the 12lb weight-for-age allowance she receives from the limited older opponents she locks horns with. This is Morrison’s only runner on the card and it can be a winning one. 

Horse Racing Odds