NAP of the Day: Go Green at Haydock on Thursday

Following back-to-back winners at Southwell, we bid for the NAP of the Day hat-trick on Thursday.

It’s to Haydock we turn, with a seemingly well-handicapped two-year-old taken to do the honours.

Owen Burrows is a trainer I rate highly – this very morning I tipped one of his at 20/1 antepost for the upcoming Betfred St Leger – and while studying Thursday’s cards I came across some statistics which gave me even more appreciation for the Lambourn handler.

Since the start of the year, he’s sent out 88 runners and 16 have returned winners – a strike rate of 18%. Impressively, that figure actually increases to 20% (102 winners from 522 runners) when you extend back to January 2020.

It’s very much a case of quality over quantity, especially when it comes to juveniles. He’s saddled just three so far this season, resulting in one winner.

That was GREEN ICON, who did it cosily in a Chelmsford maiden almost exactly a month ago and bids to go in again at Haydock on Thursday.

The Showcasing colt was sent off 9/4f for his debut over six furlongs at Nottingham in late June – a clear indication of what he’d been showing at home – but little went right in running and he could only manage sixth of 16, beaten nearly seven lengths.

He showed promise in defeat, though, recovering from a slow start and evident greenness to almost get up for fifth and challenge the fourth-placed Enchanted Eye.

Speaking of, the latter provides an interesting line on Pietro, who according to the 15:10 Haydock Odds is Green Icon’s main danger in this 0-75 nursery handicap over seven furlongs.

Eve Johnson Houghton’s gelding was over three lengths behind a horse called Louie The Legend a couple of weeks ago, who trailed the selection at Chelmsford. Given Enchanted Eye was only half a length behind Pietro, giving four pounds, prior, the suggestion is that the favourite should have his number.

Charlie Johnston’s Chuti Manika is interesting, as is the expensive Feeraas who’s having his first run since being gelded this summer, but I think Green Icon has serious scope off what looks a lenient mark of 74.

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