Day two of Haydock‘s Sprint Cup meeting and an interesting maiden to start proceedings featuring the British debut of Karezak (2.00) who has finished runner up in his last three starts for John Oxx in his native Ireland.
The selection has joined the stable of Alan King and you would expect to see him jump a flight of hurdles sooner rather than later but he can take this before turning his attentions to the winter game although he doesn’t look on breeding as if he will appreciate winter ground. Richard Hughes is a positive booking.
Hard to look beyond Godolphin’s Mistrusting (2.30) in the 6f maiden although her Fillies’ Mile entry would suggest connection s believe she will get further than today’s trip. That said the selection’s mother won the Cherry Hinton as a juvenile at today’s distance and she travelled very well (over 7f) on debut before losing out to Mick Channon’s Malabar who has subsequently landed the Group 3 Prestige Stakes at Goodwood.
Cruise Tothelimit is likely to make a bold bid from the front in the 6f sprint but the 3-y-old Kommander Kirkup (3.00) is running well of late and was, arguably, unlucky not to win from this mark last time (slowly away and rider dropped whip) and will be 3lb higher in the weights from the weekend.
You may have noticed that the three previous selections will be ridden by Richard Hughes and the theme continues in the next with the unexposed Free Rein (3.35) getting the nod in the second division of the 6f handicap.
The selection is a half-sister to Group 1 winning sprinter Reckless Abandon and showed her versatility with regard to the ground when runner up off today’s mark at Warwick last time on soft having landed her maiden on fast ground back in June.
If the hood works the oracle for the second time of asking then Newton’s Law (Richard Hughes!) must go close to following up last month’s Windsor win from a 5lb lower mark but Sleepy Blue Ocean (4.10) is reunited with Robert Winston who has been in the saddle for three of his last four career wins. The selection is only 1lb higher than when scoring over C&D last summer and his second at Nottingham on his penultimate start suggested his turn was near. He wouldn’t want any further rain having never won with the word soft in the title.
The classic generation have won the last two renewals of the 10f handicap and Madeed (5.25) ought to run well despite having a modest draw to overcome in stall 13. The selection ran well in a valuable handicap at Goodwood last time from today’s mark and is another who will be worse off at the weights from tomorrow.
If there is a market move for Cruck Realta of Mick Channon it might be worth noting having run well over a trip shy of her best on her belated reappearance last month.
At Kempton there is a most informative juvenile mile maiden and Ventriloquist has certainly done enough to win a race having run well on all three starts including when runner up here over seven on his penultimate start. Marginal preference is for Voice Control (6.20) who will get further next year but shaped with considerable promise once the penny had dropped at HQ on debut and will know more about the job in hand this evening.
In the finale Air Squadron (9.20) is clearly going the right way for Ralph Beckett and the French import is only 6lb higher than when landing a gamble at Salisbury back in June. His ability to handle this evening’s polytrack surface must be taken on trust, failed to handle Southwell fibresand back in June, but he has only had six career starts and is open to further improvement.
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