In the first division of the extended 7f handicap at Beverley, Falconidae (2.15) was doing all his best work late on when third at Chelmsford on his first start for Hugo Palmer. This slightly longer trip looks sure to suit and the selection, who has been raised 1lb for his reappearance, has a decent draw in stall two. He was put in at 7/2 with William Hill on Monday morning the same price as Velma who was beaten a head over C&D here earlier in the month, but the handicapper has had his say and he must race from a mark 6lbs higher today.
Lightness (3.15) was only beaten a short head at Kempton on her reappearance and she is taken to go one better in the 10f Fillies’ Maiden. The winner was 66/1 and the third horse home 150/1 but the fourth has come out and won at Goodwood and she is taken to give John Gosden a winner for Her Majesty the Queen. The selection is 11/8 with bet365.
Hugo Palmer saddles the once-raced Golden Pass and this 10f trip should be ideal for this daughter of Golden Horn who was green and one-paced when third at Newmarket on debut. That is useful form, but she is drawn out widest of all in stall eight and lacks a run this term.
At Chepstow it was hard not to be impressed with the win of Limelighter (7.40) at Windsor a week ago and, if in the same mood, he is hard to oppose under a 5lbs penalty. There was plenty of market confidence behind Sheena West’s 4-year-old although the race did fall apart given the front-runners went off too fast. There is no guaranteed pace this evening, which is a concern, and I hope Hector Crouch is not too far out of his ground in what could be a tactical affair. The selection was trimmed from 15/8 to 7/4 with William Hill on Monday afternoon.
At Kempton River Dawn (7.25) ran a terrific race at Pontefract from this mark last week given he was too keen but stayed on all the way to the line to finish a never nearer third. The Coles four-year-old has a career record of 211 over a mile on polytrack. Luke Morris takes over in the saddle and the 9/2 with William Hill – 4 places – looks fair.
In the finale Thai Power was all dressed up with nowhere to go at Lingfield last time and he looks sure to have finished in front of Molinari (8.55) with a clear run. That doesn’t tell the whole story however, as Willie Muir’s grey was keen in front with Martin Dwyer having to use a bit of petrol getting to the front from his moderate draw.
With that run under his belt I hope he settles a bit better this evening and he gets the each way nod at 13/2 with William Hill.
At Navan The Willie Mullins-trained Cool Colonnade looks sure to be a warm order for the concluding 1m 5f handicap, but my two against the field and I shall be splitting stakes are Switch Around – 5/1 – and Aasleagh Fawn (4.30) with marginal preference for Gavin Cromwell’s five-year-old mare who ran a cracker when forced to race wide throughout at Leopardstown on her reappearance over a furlong shorter than she encounters today. The mare is 15/2 with William Hill who are betting each way five places.
Switch Around is another who went into the notebook having looked in need of a step up in distance when staying on nicely over an extended 9f on her comeback in a Gowran Park maiden. Andrew Slattery takes off a valuable 5lbs aboard Dermot Weld’s filly.
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