Today’s racing looks a case of ‘the calm after the storm’ with the respective festivals at Goodwood and Galway coming to a close over the weekend and Champion Jockey Richard Hughes bowing out of the saddle at the former on Saturday. This evening’s racing at Windsor is sure to have a strange feel to it without Hughes however Champion Trainer Richard Hannon has more than able deputies in the form of Cam Hardie, Sean Levey and Pat Dobbs and Derby winning jockey Frankie Dettori getting the leg-up on the yard’s runners for Al Shaqab. The pair teamed-up to score three times, all in group company, in the week at Glorious Goodwood and have two excellent chances this evening with Al Khateya (6.00) in the opener and Aldhaya in the 6f Handicap.
The former makes her debut at a racetrack after costing 350,000 Euros at the sales and boasts a fascinating pedigree and related to plenty of winners. The well-bred daughter of Acclamation wouldn’t need to be out of the ordinary to be able to win a maiden of this ilk and she can score at the first time of asking this evening. Stablemate Aldayah (7.30) boasts a similar pedigree and is another daughter of Acclamation that is well-related for Al Shaqab Racing. She built on the promise shown on debut at Lingfield before following-up by making all last month at Salisbury. She looks open to further improvement and should prove competitive from an opening mark of 85 now handicapping.
Roger Varian’s American Artist (7.00) has been backed like defeat was out of the question for his races at Kempton and Sandown respectively; scoring at the latter under William Buick two weeks’ ago. James Doyle replaces Buick in the saddle this evening and he looks set to follow-up at the royal track from a 3lb higher mark. The colt scored readily, despite being keen in the early stages last time out, and looks open to much further improvement.
There’s excellent flat racing from Nottingham this afternoon where William Buick boasts an excellent book of rides, and Roger Varian’s Queen’s Pearl (3.30) his best chance of a winner in the feature 6f Fillies’ Handicap. The selection got her head in front at the third time of asking last term, winning a warm maiden at Yarmouth before being put away for the winter. The daughter of Exceed and Excel ran a blinder on her seasonal debut at Newmarket in May, before following-up at the track under James Doyle last month, and looks well-treated from just a 3lb higher mark.
Ed Dunlop’s recent scorer Memories Galore will be fancied to make it 2/2 in handicap company later on the card however As Good As Gold (4.00) looks potentially well-treated in first-time head-gear for the tried and tested partnership of Paul Hanagan and Richard Fahey. The daughter of Oasis Dream improved for the switch from trainer Aidan O’Brien winning at the third time of asking at Ripon in June and, after holding her form well subsequently in handicaps at Pontefract and Carlisle, can claim a second career success on her preferred sounder surface.
The Fahey yard have already yielded £2million in prize-money this season and look to add to that further at Carlisle, where the yard have no less than eight runners on the card including four in the opening 6f Fillies’ Maiden. Despite the quartet in the opener, the yard’s best chance could prove to be Quest of Colour (5.15) stepping-up to tackle a mile and a half for the first time. The selection has improved on all three starts this term and can get his head in front from an unrevised mark under David Nolan.
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