Nic Doggett provides an overview of the key things to note on Tuesday.
Strong gallop crucial to Lingfield contest
The pace could be an important angle when assessing the British Stallion Studs EBF Fillies' Handicap (15:30) at Lingfield.
As well as a 4 lb rise in the handicap, Distant Shore picked up the Timeform 'Horse In Focus' and 'Sectional' flags with a strong closing effort at Nottingham last month, going like the best horse at the weights and showing a turn of foot which matched the all-the-way winner Luna Celeste but she was just caught too far out of her ground to erode the deficit.
Though perhaps not the easiest to ride (has been dropped out in rear on all five starts to date), Distant Shore clearly has plenty of talent and there is a strong feeling that this longer trip will see her to good effect as her granddam Zee Zee Gee is a half-sister to the Pretty Polly winner Izzi Top.
Lingfield's all-weather track often suits those horses who can finish fast from off the pace, and there should be a good gallop on here (pace prediction of 'strong') thanks to the presence of confirmed frontrunner Pomme Pomme, while Guesstimate, Asset, Radiance and She Commands have all shown good form when ridden positively.
Trilby: hats off once more?
A former boss of mine used to be at pains to reaffirim his view that 'the ground is the most important thing in racing', and whilst it occasionally wakes me in a cold sweat in the middle of the night, it's stuck with me two decades later.
Timeform's comment for Trilby is as follows: rather light-framed gelding: has had breathing operation: stays 6f: acts on polytrack and any turf going: sometimes slowly away.
Clearly, with a win and several good efforts in defeat on quick ground, the summer months pose no fears for the Sam England-trained sprinter, but the rest of his seven career wins have come on going described by Timeform as good-to-soft (1), soft (2) and heavy (3).
The six-year-old found his run of good form coming to a halt back on firmer ground against a better class of opposition and from a wide draw at York last month, so it's an effort that's easy enough to excuse, and this drop back into 0-85 grade in the Every Race Live On Racing TV Handicap (20:00) on ground currently described as good-to-soft (good in places) presents an opportunity to bounce back.
Three horses in the race have the 'Horses For Courses' flag, with two of those – Station X and Top Juggler – both likely to help contribute to the pace prediction of 'very strong'.
With his best performances coming when striking off a strong gallop, Trilby can confirm his recent form with Parisiac – who he narrowly pips to the top of Timeform's weight-adjusted ratings - and secure an eighth career success.
Well-treated mare to win for eighth time
While a strong pace is expected for the two contests covered above, that isn't the case for the Oddschecker Fillies' Handicap (20:15) with the Nottingham contest having the potential to turn into a tactical affair.
Like Distant Shore earlier in the day, Thunderous Love went like the best horse at the weights when beaten into second at Salisbury last month. With a claimer up for the first time this season, she paid the price for going home a long way out in a strongly-run race, but was eventually picked up by a filly who has been rejuvenated by a switch to blinkers (winner again since).
From the same mark here, Thunderous Love is really well treated now on her 2025 form and shaped there as though ready to take advantage fairly soon, so could be best equipped to deal with the demands of this race.
A two-time C&D winner, with most of her other victories coming at Newbury and Salisbury where a turn of foot is often crucial, the Johnny Portman-trained mare looks the best bet on the card.
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