Andrew Asquith provides an overview of the key things to note on Sunday.
Three points of interest
Unbeaten Fluorescence looks well treated
Ed Bethell has his team in good order at present and he’s expected to saddle another winner in the shape of the unbeaten Fluorescence in the British EBF Premier Fillies’ Handicap (15:40).
She was well supported and produced a fine display to make a winning debut at Southwell in October, comfortably holding a prominent position before putting the race to bed in good style inside the final.
Fluorescence was again popular in the market on her return at Redcar earlier this month and she duly got the job done in similar fashion, travelling fluently at the head of affairs and just driven clear to score by three lengths.
The handicapper has allotted her an opening mark of 85, which looks very fair for a horse with her profile, and she’s fancied to complete a hat-trick receiving weight from some more exposed older horses.
Simply an Astounding prospect
Aidan O’Brien has won five of the last 10 renewals of the Coolmore Stud Irish IBF Blackbeard Fillies Sprint Stakes (16:03) at Naas, including with subsequent top-level performers such at Mother Earth and Meditate, while Fairy Godmother who won 12 months ago went on to win at Royal Ascot last season.
O’Brien is represented by Simply Astounding and newcomer Signora in this year’s edition, and the former looked a special filly when making a winning start over this course and distance last month.
She is bred in the purple, the fourth foal out of seven-time Group 1 winner Minding, and she looked every inch the superb prospect she’s bred to be, produced to lead around two furlongs out and just driven clear to assert from another promising sort who also pulled well clear of the remainder.
Simply Astounding is just the sort to make significant improvement now – she has the ‘Timeform Large P’ attached to her rating – and she’s fancied to make a smooth transition into pattern company and set herself up nicely for something at Royal Ascot.
Sportingsilvermine can go on improving for Owen
James Owen is making a real name for himself, especially when it comes to improving new recruits, and Sportingsilvermine can give him further success in the Sky Bet Build A Bet Handicap (17:15) at Newmarket.
He was well supported to make a winning start for Owen over 11 furlongs at Southwell and progressed further to make it two from two for the yard over an extended mile and a half at Musselburgh last month.
Sportingsilvermine was well suited by a strongly-run race on that occasion, gradually asserting away from a next-time-out winner, and the way he travelled at Chester last time suggests he has even more to offer.
He was beaten only by a class dropper that day, but he was comfortably clear of the remainder, and there is hope on the dam’s side of his pedigree that he will be well suited by this longer trip. This may also test speed more than stamina, too, and he looks ahead of his mark up 3lb from last time.
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