John Ingles provides an overview of the key things to note on Wednesday.
Three points of interest
Eye-catching booking for Tom Marquand at Thirsk
Tom Marquand has three good rides for his boss William Haggas at Thirsk, with the pick of those being First Principle in the first division of the novice (14:33). First Principle made an excellent impression when winning a similar event on his debut at Kempton in December under little more than hand riding and looks well up to defying a penalty.
But Marquand has also picked up the ride on Arantes Nascimento in the first division of the seven-furlong handicap (15:33). That looks a very eye-catching booking for Gemma Tutty’s gelding who receives the ‘Jockey Uplift’ flag as a result. Trained until after his reappearance this year by Julie Camacho, Arantes Nascimento has made a bright start for his new yard, with placed efforts in each of his three runs for Tutty.
In the last of those, a handicap at Chester for amateur riders, Arantes Nascimento earned the ‘Horse In Focus’ flag as he was caught on the rail behind the eventual winner Profit Refused for much of the home turn. Getting a gap approaching the final furlong, he stayed on to finish third, beaten a couple of necks. Also beaten a neck in another amateurs’ contest at Carlisle on his previous start, Arantes Nascimento can confirm recent promise heading the Timeform weight-adjusted ratings.
Aidan O’Brien worth taking on in Tipperary Stakes
Aidan O’Brien’s First Approach is likely to be popular in the Coolmore Stud-sponsored Tipperary Stakes (18:10), a listed race for two-year-olds over five furlongs. After all, he is one of only two winners in the field of five and will find this much less competitive than the Windsor Castle Stakes he contested a fortnight ago. But he failed to see his race out at Royal Ascot and is now tried in cheekpieces, and while Aidan O’Brien won this in 2018 with the subsequent Richmond Stakes winner Land Force, he has also saddled the beaten favourite in each of the last three years.
Instead, Donnacha O’Brien has won two of the last three renewals, and it can be kept in the family again, this time with Joseph O’Brien’s filly Spring Is Here, a sister to Castle Star who was a smart two-year-old sprinter, finishing second in the Middle Park Stakes.
Spring Is Here showed plenty of ability on her debut, although green, in a listed race at the Curragh which was won by subsequent Group 3 winner Lady Iman from the Queen Mary winner True Love. While only third in a minor event over this evening’s course and distance next time, Spring Is Here shaped second best for a long way behind Rogue Legend who has since finished third in the Windsor Castle. Taking her fillies’ allowance into account, Spring Is Here is 6 lb clear of First Approach and with a ‘p’ on her rating indicating further improvement to come, so she gets the vote.
Unlucky loser Sudu can get off the mark at Epsom
Epsom’s evening card features a couple of handicaps run over the full Derby course and the first of those (19:58) can go to Roger Varian’s three-year-old gelding Sudu who looked unlucky not to finish much closer on his handicap debut at Newbury last time.
Sudu still ran his best race to date in finishing fourth behind potentially useful winner Circus of Rome at Newbury but he can be credited for having finishing second at worst. Sudu had no luck in running at all through the final three furlongs, including when short of room upsides the winner approaching the final furlong, but after being forced to switch again, he ran on for hands-and-heels riding.
Sudu earned the ‘Horse In Focus’ flag for that effort and he’s 3 lb clear in the Timeform weight-adjusted ratings, with a ‘p’, ahead of Navid who finished a neck in front of him at Newbury. Some of Sudu’s earlier form reads well now too as he bumped into some horses who have gone on to better things, notably the King George V Stakes winner Merchant.
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