John Ingles provides an overview of the key things to note on Friday.
Wave to come in at Brighton
Brighton lost their early fixtures this season due to damage to the track ‘caused by a mixture of leatherjackets and nematodes’ according to the Clerk of the Course so they will be staging their first meeting since October on Friday. One man with reasons for welcoming the re-opening of Brighton more than most is Tony Carroll whose string is in good form – he has the ‘Hot Trainer’ flag – and who had 17 winners at the track last year, more than twice as many as any other trainer.
Carroll has good chances in the last three races on the card, including with veteran Kondratiev Wave in the seven-furlong handicap (16:23). At the age of nine, Kondratiev Wave has been running consistently well this year and has only finished out of the frame once in eight starts. He ended a long losing run when dead-heating at Lingfield in February, while he has found only one too good in his last couple of runs at Southwell and Bath.
Kondratiev Wave was having a very rare outing without any headgear at Bath last time where he ran well on his first turf start of the year, racing prominently as usual and keeping on to be beaten three quarters of a length by Nammos. The cheekpieces are back on here, though, and topping the Timeform weight-adjusted ratings at a track where he has won three times already, Kondratiev Wave can show his younger rivals the way home.
Emerald Army on the march at Carlisle
Ruth Carr tends to get the best out of older handicappers who join her yard and one who has made a promising start to life with his new trainer this year is Emerald Army who runs in the final contest on Carlisle’s card (17:15).
The five-year-old won three races for his previous trainer, Declan Carroll, including handicaps at Thirsk and Catterick last season, and Emerald Army is looking well handicapped these days, with his current BHA mark 5 lb below the one he last won from at Catterick last summer.
His first two runs this year at Thirsk and Redcar over six furlongs suggested he was working his way back to form and he benefited from the return to seven at Catterick last time when being the only one to get involved from the rear. Patiently ridden following a slow start, Emerald Army closed all the way to the line before going down by a neck to stablemate Filey Beach, earning the ‘Horse In Focus’ flag. Racing off the same mark here, Emerald Army looks ready to go one better.
Carmers can add Plate to Vase
It’s mostly low-grade fare for a Friday but at least there’s some quality at Down Royal where the highlight on their evening card is a two-mile listed contest, His Majesty’s Plate (18:50). Last year’s Derby third Tennessee Stud has his first start of the year back in Europe after disappointing on his reappearance on the Saudi Cup undercard but could bounce back here, while Dallas Star has had no easy task taking on last year’s St Leger winner Scandinavia in his last couple of starts.
However, that pair might have to settle for place money behind Carmers for ‘Hot Trainer’ Paddy Twomey who was only three lengths behind Scandinavia when fifth in the St Leger on his final start last year. Prior to that, Carmers had won his first three starts last year, notably the Queen’s Vase at Royal Ascot, when Scandinavia was behind him as was recent Yorkshire Cup winner Rahiebb. He also stayed on well when a good second to Pride of Arras in the Great Voltigeur Stakes at York.
Carmers was fifth again to Scandinavia (Dallas Star runner-up) on his reappearance in last month’s Vintage Crop Stakes at Navan, but he wasn’t given a hard time once his chance had gone and he wasn’t the first from his yard to shape as if he’d be better for his reappearance. Visored for the first time after wearing blinkers for all his previous starts, Carmers can build on that reappearance and take this on his first try at two miles before a possible return to Royal Ascot for the Gold Cup.
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