The second day of Salisbury’s two-day Sovereign Stakes meeting sees a field of seven go to post for the feature £50,000 Group Three contest and Owen Burrows’ Massatt (4.10) taken to appreciate the drop down in grade and bounce back from his classic disappointment earlier in the campaign. The well-bred son of Teofilo fast-tracked through the ranks last term as a juvenile; finishing second in the Gp 1 Dewhurst Stakes at Newmarket and well-supported in the market to build on that in his seasonal debut in the Guineas.
He ran an excellent second behind subsequent Royal Ascot hero Galileo Gold in the first classic of the season at Newmarket and tanked through the Derby before emptying on ground softer than ideal. The drop back in trip, coupled with this afternoon’s forecast good-to-firm ground, should see him bounce back and return to winning ways under regular partner Paul Hanagan.
Sir Michael Stoute‘s filly Dubka (3.40) can win a competitive renewal of the £30,000 Fillies’ Handicap and complete the hat-trick under Ted Durcan. The Dubawi home-bred comes from a useful family and has shown a useful level of form in both successes over a mile and a half; winning a Chepstow maiden before following-up at Doncaster when bolting-up on soft ground under Ryan Moore. She looked to be pattern class that day but has been raised just 8lb by the handicapper and can land connections a nice pot before a likely step in class thereafter.
Ralph Beckett’s Alyssa (5.15) is another progressive filly seeking the hat-trick and can give weight and a beating to her five rivals in the finale under Champion Jockey Silvestre de Sousa. She had strong maiden form to her name last term and built upon that when successful on the all-weather when shedding the maiden tag at Wolverhampton and then making a mockery of her opening mark when successful by seven lengths last time out under SDS at Epsom. From just a 10lb higher mark she is a confident selection to carry on her progression stepped up in trip to a mile and three quarters.
The 7f Maiden won’t take much winning earlier on the card and Andrew Balding’s Scorching Heat (2.10) must go close in his attempt to shed the maiden tag at the second time of asking. The son of Acclamation cost his connections’ 32,000 guineas at the sales and looked a decent prospect when finishing a promising fourth last month on debut at Kempton Park. The switch to turf and the step up in trip should both suit and he is a confident selection to get his head in front under Oisin Murphy.
Jump racing returned yesterday at Newton Abbot and there’s further action over the sticks at Stratford where Fergal O’Brien’s Luccombe Down (6.20) will be difficult to beat under Paddy Brennan. The 6-y-o has been a revelation since leaving the Donald McCain yard, winning his last two starts at both Uttoxeter and Market Rasen, and should be able to defy a penalty to score for the third time on the spin.
A field of eight go to post for the feature G3 Desmond Stakes over at Leopardstown with unbeaten Breeders’ Cup Champion Hit it a Bomb one of three declared by trainer Aidan O’Brien. Stablemates General Macarthur and Cougar Mountain are respected for the Master of Ballydoyle but preference lies instead with the 3-y-o Tribal Beat (7.30) under regular partner Kevin Manning. He signed off his 2-y-o campaign with an excellent second to Blue de Vega in the G3 Killavullan stakes over course and distance in October and looks well-treated at the weights to make a winning return to action.
Aidan O’Brien has enjoyed plenty of success in what has historically been a very warm maiden earlier on the card, won by the likes of Free Eagle and Order of St George in years gone by, and his debutant Finn McCool (7.00) warrants maximum respect given the vibes from the Kildare yard in the spring. The colt has apparently left many of his rivals a trail on the gallops and is already 33/1 with BetVictor for next year’s Derby.
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