Tony McFadden provides an overview of the key things to note on Sunday.
Amayretto could have more to offer as a sprinter
Amayretto made her nursery debut over six furlongs at York in 2023 but was then campaigned over seven furlongs or a mile before belatedly having another crack at sprinting at Hamilton last time.
That was a weak four-runner affair, but there was still a lot to like about how Amayretto rewarded good support. She moved comfortably throughout that contest, which was run at a good clip despite the small field, and readily pulled clear to win by three and a quarter lengths.
That was Amayretto's fourth win of her career but her best performance yet on Timeform's figures, opening up the prospect that she may still have more to offer at sprint trips. She's been hit with a 7 lb rise in the weights but her unexposed profile as a sprinter makes her of obvious interest in the six-furlong handicap (15:43) at Hamilton, back over the same course and distance as for her impressive win this month.
Cannon bidding to enhance superb Plumpton record
Tom Cannon is comfortably the leading rider at Plumpton since the start of the 2020/21 season and has ridden more than twice as many winners as the next active jockey on the list (47 compared to Harry Cobden's 22).
What's more, those 47 winners for Cannon have come at a highly impressive strike rate of 26.3% and backing each of his mounts to £1 level stakes would have resulted in a profit of £39.77.
Cannon's sole ride on Sunday comes aboard Nap Hand who narrowly heads Timeform's weight-adjusted ratings for the two-mile handicap hurdle (15:50). Nap Hand was disappointing when turned over at a very short price at Market Rasen last month, but he beat a subsequent winner when getting off the mark over hurdles at Stratford in July, and his fairly useful Flat form suggests he might be on a handy mark.
The Man can provide more sprint success for connections
Trainer Richard Spencer and owner Phil Cunningham completed a remarkable double on Saturday thanks to Candy landing the Silver Cup and Run Boy Run bagging the Gold Cup at Ayr.
And they have a major contender for the most valuable race in Britain on Sunday - the five-furlong handicap at Southwell (16:07) worth £75,000 - with The Man. It's a competitive affair, as you might expect for the money, though a field of 14 might not seem too daunting for connections of The Man given Candy and Run Boy Run both prevailed in 25-runner races!
The Man has also been performing well in competitive, big-field handicaps this season. Gelded and given a breathing operation prior to his return to action, The Man improved on his juvenile efforts to comfortably win a five-furlong handicap at York's Dante meeting in May. He then wasn't seen until competing in a five-and-a-half-furlong handicap at York's Ebor meeting in August, but he produced an even better effort on Timeform's figures despite losing out by a head. That brave effort earned The Man Timeform's Horse In Focus Flag, marking him out as one likely to be of firm interest next time, and he still has the Timeform 'p' to show he's expected to improve further. He can cap a stellar weekend for connections.
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