John Ingles provides an overview of the key things to note on Wednesday.
Three points of interest
Expensive Juddmonte newcomer catches eye
For a long time, Juddmonte’s success was entirely home-grown but in recent years they have been active in the foal and yearling markets, supporting offspring of their own stallions. This approach has yielded some notable results, with Chaldean, a son of Frankel who had cost 550,000 guineas as a foal, winning the 2000 Guineas in 2023 and Field of Gold, a son of Kingman bought for €530,000, showing top-class form this year and heading for next week’s Sussex Stakes.
Therefore, Assiri Heights looks a very interesting newcomer for Juddmonte in the first of the novices at Salisbury (14:50), costing more than either of the above-named colts as he was bought for 700,000 guineas from Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale. Like Chaldean, he’s trained by Andrew Balding and shares the same sire as that colt, Frankel.
That might suggest Assiri Heights will need further six furlongs in time, though he comes from a speedy family. He’s the first living foal out of his smart dam Archer’s Dream, who had a Timeform rating of 113 and won five races over sprint trips for James Fanshawe, gaining her biggest success at Salisbury, in fact, when dead-heating in the listed Cathedral Stakes. Archer’s Dream is herself out of a half-sister to the King’s Stand Stakes winner Profitable. Both Harry Charlton and Richard Hannon also field potentially interesting newcomers in Thanos and Sprinting Speed respectively in what has the makings of an informative contest.
Miss Rainbow can show true colours back at six furlongs
County Durham trainer Tracy Waggott has already trained the same number of winners this year as she did in the whole of the last two seasons and could be on course for her best seasonal tally for some time. But it’s already been a memorable campaign for the yard thanks to Heavenly Heather’s 200/1 win from over two stone out of the weights in the Fillies’ And Mares’ Championships Handicap on All-Weather Finals Day at Newcastle in April which was worth more than £77,000 to the winner.
Stablemate Miss Rainbow is running for rather less in the final contest on Catterick’s card (17:00) but she too has made no small contribution to her stable’s success this year. The fitting of a visor has seemed to make all the difference to her as she won three races in as many weeks last month, making all the running at Thirsk, Catterick and Newcastle over distances between five and seven furlongs.
However, the drop back to five furlongs at Hamilton last time seemed to catch Miss Rainbow out, as she initially looked one of the first beaten before staging a late rally to take third behind Sixcor. That suggests the step back up to six furlongs will suit and she can return to winning form under apprentice William Pyle who has ridden her for her two most recent wins.
Strong hand for Paddy Twomey in Naas listed event
William Haggas will be hoping Sky Majesty’s trip to Ireland pays off in the Yeomanstown Stud Irish EBF Stakes (18:40), a six-furlong listed contest for fillies and mares. Sky Majesty has leading claims on form, having won the Group 2 Criterium de Maisons-Laffitte last season, and this is a big drop in class from the Commonwealth Cup she contested last time. She wasn’t discredited at Royal Ascot and the forecast ‘yielding to soft’ ground shouldn’t bother her considering her win in France came on heavy going.
However, Sky Majesty may have to settle for minor honours with Paddy Twomey fielding a couple of strong contenders. One of those is three-year-old Bonus Time who was a big-money purchase from Gavin Cromwell after winning a maiden at the Curragh in May and showed improved form on her first start for Twomey when a half-length second to Sounds Like A Plan in a handicap at Leopardstown last time. Bonus Time couldn’t quite last home in front over seven furlongs, so is interesting back at six here and is open to further improvement after just three starts.
Year-older stablemate Super Sox is unexposed too, however, and comes out best in the Timeform weight-adjusted ratings despite having to give weight away all round. She won twice over seven furlongs last season, notably a listed race at Cork in ready fashion, and did well, considering the ground she lost at the start, when fourth to My Mate Alfie when dropped back to six furlongs for the Group 3 Renaissance Stakes at the Curragh on her final outing last season. The fact that she hasn’t run since isn’t a concern given her stable, and she looks of significant interest at this level.
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