John Ingles provides an overview of the key things to note on Sunday.
Calico Blue can keep unbeaten Chester record
Roger Varian, who has the ‘Hot Trainer’ flag, and Ray Dawson teamed up to win Chester’s Queensferry Stakes (15:20) with the three-year-old Mitbaahy three years ago and the same trainer-jockey combination have a good chance of landing the six-furlong contest again this year with Calico Blue, the difference this year being that the race is now restricted to three-year-olds only.
Calico Blue has gained all three of his career wins over Chester’s six furlongs resulting in an unbeaten track record and the ‘Horses For Courses’ flag. Not that he hasn’t run well elsewhere. He was a good second on his reappearance at Sandown, finished fourth in the Palace of Holyroodhouse Stakes at Royal Ascot and was only beaten a neck by Jazl back over six furlongs in a heritage handicap for three-year-olds at the Newmarket July meeting.
While Calico Blue is slightly worse off at the weights meeting Jazl again here, he has since won his latest start at Chester just eight days ago when comfortably landing the odds by a length and a half from another with a very good record at Chester, Tricky Tel. Calico Blue earned the ‘Sectional Timing’ flag for that win which was a useful effort and makes him the top rated on Timeform weight-adjusted ratings. He has a good draw in stall 3, and should take plenty of stopping up in grade.
Dance In The Storm pick of the weights if overcoming wide draw
‘Hot Trainer’ Andrew Balding’s filly Dance In The Storm isn’t having much luck with the draw in her races this season but she’s certainly on a mark to take advantage in Chester’s seven-furlong handicap (15:52) if being drawn widest of all in stall 10 doesn’t prove too much of a handicap.
A low draw at Epsom on Oaks day when the runners were looking for the best ground on the stand side in the straight meant she wasn’t best placed, and she had excuses again at Royal Ascot last time in the Buckingham Palace Stakes when finishing down the field but suggesting she’s still in good form by coming home first in the far-side group.
On the face of it, she has been done no favours by the draw again here, though it’s worth remembering that Oisin Murphy got her home in front from another wide berth at Chester’s May meeting. She was impressive on that occasion too, powering home from mid-division having quickened to lead in the final fifty yards and win by half a length from Sujet. Better than she’s been able to show the last twice, Dance In The Storm has to be taken very seriously, being 5 lb clear in the Timeform weight-adjusted ratings with a ‘+’.
Pierre looks best as Galway rivals meet again
The most valuable event on the final day of the Galway Festival is the Ahonoora Handicap over seven furlongs (16:00), a race that commemorates the 1978 Stewards’ Cup winner who went on to sire Derby winner Dr Devious, among others. The key to this race looks like being the BMW Mile Handicap, another premier handicap at Galway which took place on Tuesday evening.
Several who ran in that contest are turned out again here, including the first three home, Orandi, Pierre Royal and Jagged Edge who were separated by a length and three quarters and a neck. Jagged Edge came out best at the weights, putting up a smart effort despite having to make ground widest of all, and should be thereabouts again under top weight, while Orandi can go well again too, though he has a wide draw to contend with, as well as a 7 lb penalty.
The swing in the weights, though, favours Tuesday’s runner-up Pierre Royal who has the 'Horses For Courses' flag and emerges best in the Timeform weight-adjusted ratings. Trained by Dermot Weld last season, Pierre Royal remains an unexposed four-year-old for Ado McGuinness this term and showed a potent turn of foot on just his second start for current connections when winning a premier handicap at the Curragh on Irish Derby day. He looks capable of turning the tables on Orandi in a race his trainer won three years running between 2020 and 2022 with Current Option.
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