Liber-ate the bookies’ money . .

By JOE ROWNTREE
Published on 09/08/2012 12:44

Two classy juveniles turn out tomorrow at Musselburgh and Liber can make the long trek from Newmarket pay off by winning his third race of the year.

Sir Mark Prescott’s 
youngster was a shade unlucky when runner-up on his debut before winning at Carlisle and then ran three solid races in top 
company.

He was third in a Listed affair at the Epsom Derby fixture 
before finishing 7th in the Windsor Castle Stakes at Royal Ascot and he regained winning form in style at Bath recently.

His main rival in the British Stallion Studs Conditions Stakes (3.00) is Cosmic Chatter, who made a successful debut at Haydock Park after which the David Barron-trained juvenile went into many notebooks.

Barron is no fool, so the fact that Cosmic Chatter then made the trip to Royal Ascot was significant and he was far from disgraced in finishing 11th.

But he was over five lengths adrift of Liber and I fully expect the Newmarket raider to come out on top again.

Barron can make it into the winners enclosure though with Sohcahtoa in the Cruden Group Handicap (3.30) over two miles.

The gelding has not scored since winning twice at Goodwood in the summer of 2008 when trained by Richard Hannon, but has been running with credit for Barron this term. He was 3rd at Doncaster and Ayr and was favourite when runner-up in an amateur riders event at the last Musselburgh meeting, He can go one better this time.

Partner was a useful sprinter when trained in Ireland where he won four times for David Marnane and was bought for 17,000 gns at last year’s autumn sales,

Now with Kevin Ryan in North Yorkshire, he repaid his new connections with a victory at Thirsk in May and was a close second on his latest outing at Catterick where he was beaten a whisker after meeting traffic problems at a vital stage.

The six-year-old has the 
assistance of Graham Lee in the Five-A-Day Claiming Stakes (4.30) and can give weight away all round over this sharp five furlongs.

Richard Fahey has a good record on the East Lothian track and can saddle Multisure to win the opening SLJ Maiden Auction Stakes (2.00).

The youngster was a cheap purchase and was only seventh on his debut at Beverley, but shaped with much more promise next time at Pontefract and will strip fitter again now. With that experience behind him, he can take this modest event.

Musselburgh selections

2.00 Multisure; 3.00 Liber; 3.30 Sohcahtoa; 4.30 Partner.