Catching Pigeons: Gossip and tips from the gallops
Our intrepid gallops guru rounds up all the gossip from the major training centres ahead of another big Saturday.
Royal Line can end another great turf season for John Gosden with victory in the Betfred November Handicap at Doncaster on Saturday.
Gosden has to uphold a proud family tradition in this race, thanks largely to his father, "Towser", who farmed the race in the sixties. Gosden junior has also shown he can ready one to prevail here, and Royal Line looks a nicely unexposed sort with which to go to war in a typically competitive renewal.
Although beaten on his latest start in a three horse race at Newbury, he had won his previous two outings at Windsor and Haydock, and has worked very well since his recent disappointment. He looks nicely handicapped, and gets the vote ahead of the quietly fancied, and equally lightly raced Towerlands Park.
Henry Candy has a chance of taking both divisions of the Betfred Mobile Cock O'The North EBF Maiden Stakes with two Cheveley Park Stud-owned juveniles. Hidden Affair, a son of Equiano, out of a Motivator mare will handle the soft ground well and should step up on his only outing so far at Salisbury in July. He shaped well in fifth behind Fighting Irish, and he has gone on to boost the form with a Group 2 success in France. One or two other winners have come out of the race, and Hidden Affair knows more of what is required this time.
Ornamental, has always been highly rated by the Kingstone Warren team and he is preferred to Gilded Hour in Div II. Although he could never get into the race after a slow start on his bow at the same Wiltshire course, he stuck on well in the closing stages in what has worked out to be a very good class novice event. He should also be more effective this time around and like his stablemate, should represent each-way value.
Easy Victory catches the eye on her first run of the season under George Wood in the Betfred "Home Of Goals Galore" Apprentice Handicap.
Saeed bin Suroor is well capable of readying one after a layoff and his record at Doncaster this time of the year is also pretty striking. The daughter of Dubawi was mixing in pretty hot company last autumn and while she's clearly had one or two issues, it's noteworthy she scored first time out in a Newmarket maiden. A mark of 87 could vastly underestimate her raw ability and the market should be monitored, at the very least.
Bin Suroor could also be on the target with his sole representative on the card at Wolverhampton. Ocean Of Love has her third start in the Betway Live Casino Maiden Stakes and though clearly not blessed with much natural speed, a race of this type should could her way on the evidence of her comeback run at Chelmsford, when perhaps a little too keen to do herself justice.
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Dream Of Dreams has fully justified his former trainer Kevin Ryan's high opinion of him with his new handler for 2017, Sir Michael Stoute, and he is fancied to end his turf campaign with a second win in the Listed Betfred Mobile Wentworth Stakes. He hosed up in a conditions event on his second start for the Newmarket maestro at Lingfield, but then pulled too hard for his own good when fifth to Tathmeen at Newbury on his only subsequent start. This step back to six from seven furlongs should help him to settle better, and his recent homework has been of a high order.
Ben Pauling has made a good start to the autumn campaign with his team of youngsters and French import Delire d'Estruval should go well on his first appearance for this stable in the 188Bet EBF Stallions National Hunt Novices' Hurdle qualifier at Aintree. This sharp two and a half miles should pose no problems for him, he acts in the likely soft ground, and his preparatory schooling at home has been precise.
Charbel could prove the value bet to beat the well fancied Lough Derg Spirit in the Unibet Elite Hurdle at Wincanton. Kim Bailey has made a brave move in switching this high class chaser back to timber after a very good debut campaign over the larger obstacles last term. Connections figure that he was also a smart performer at this discipline a couple of years back, and looks to have a very workable rating, even though he must carry top-weight here. He seems to have form in the mud, and his trainer has him in hearty nick for what should prove a lucrative campaign.
Henllan Harry may have been a little lucky to beat Vyta Du Roc and scoop a big pot at Sandown on the final day of last season, but he remains at the right end of the handicap and should go well for star 7lb claimer James Bowen in the Badger Ales Trophy Handicap Chase. Peter Bowen's gelding seems to handle all surfaces and should be able to take maximum advantage if the forecast rain materialises and turns this into a real stamina test. A recent outing at Worcester should have sharpened him up and he looks solid each-way material in a very open heat.
Caribert is considered one of Harry Fry's best youngsters for the new jumps season and he should want plenty of beating in the Jaytrack Employees Day bumper at Wincanton. The son of Ballingarry did not quite make it to the course during the dry spring, but he has thrived for his summer break and works very well.
Might Bite will not start at a particularly lucrative price after ending last season as a leading 2018 Gold Cup hope in the 188Bet Future Stars Intermediate Chase at Sandown on Sunday, but it is worth reporting how well things have gone in his preparation for this eagerly waited comeback.
Something of a quirky sort last term despite his high class performances, he seems a more relaxed individual so far this season, and his schooling on the Lambourn Downs has been a joy to behold. He heads to Kempton for the King George after his comeback effort this weekend and it will be interesting to see how he tackles those sometimes tricky railway fences in the back straight.
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