3:50 – Yarmouth – SHIRLEY GILL MEMORIAL HANDICAP (CLASS 4) (3yo+ 0-80) Good To Firm 7f3y
Rough Rock is making his 80th career start this afternoon and in his previous 79 starts he has won 10 times all of which have come on the turf. The 7 year old chestnut gelding should be able to drive his own horsebox here as he has run at Yarmouth on no fewer than 36 occasions.
His record over today’s trip of 7 furlongs at the course is 2 wins and 5 placed efforts from 15 wins. Due to his handicap mark Rough Rock mainly runs in Class 3 and Class 4 Handicaps – he is down into a Class 4 race today and all of his win and place efforts over 7 furlongs at Yarmouth have come in Classes 4, 5 and 6.
The going at Yarmouth is Good to Firm and Rough Rock has won over course and distance once and been placed once from 7 starts. Overall at all courses over 7 furlongs, his record on Good to Firm ground is 3 wins and 1 placed effort from 11 runs.
He runs off a handicap mark of 73 today which is just 1lb higher than his previous best winning mark which was achieved at Yarmouth over 7 furlongs last July. However, he is ridden by Raul Da Silva this afternoon who claims 3lbs which means that in effect he is running off 70 which is a mark he has won off at Folkestone over 7 furlongs. Raul his ridden him once before, when the pair finished 3rd at Lingfield in June.
Rough Rock has bags of experience at Folkestone and it is interesting to note that all 10 of his wins have come here and at Folkestone and Newmarket. All three courses which have some form of quirky undulations. Yarmouth can be a bit of a specialist course and not all horses take to it. Rough Rock might not be at the top of the betting today but he has course and distance winning form, goes in the ground and has won off similar handicap marks in the past. He is won at Yarmouth for the past 3 years and today could be the day for him to keep his record going.
