Catching Pigeons column with all the weekend gossip and selections
Johnny Barnes is the banker bet at Doncaster on Saturday as Catching Pigeons rounds up all the gossip and tips from the leading training centres around the country.
The star of the season so far is all set to strut her stuff in next week's Yorkshire Oaks after Frankie Dettori partnered the power-packed Enable in a piece of work on the Limekilns at headquarters.
The even-money quotes about her delivering a second Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe trophy for trainer John Gosden look perfectly justified on what we've seen of her and while she won't be a betting proposition on the Knavesmire, she's going to be some sight back against the fillies.
Stablemate Cracksman is also A-1 in the run up to the Ebor Festival and should take all the beating in the Great Voltigeur Stakes, while Sir Michael Stoute's Ulysses continues to do things very easily at home and will at the very least keep Barney Roy and Churchill honest in a glittering renewal of the Juddmonte International.
Stoute's got a lot to look forward to in the longer-term too based on the gleaming group of two-year-olds he's been working on this week and Regal Reality might be one to look out for in the coming months.
Onto more pressing matters and Tommy Taylor can enjoy a welcome change of luck in the Randox Health Handicap at Newmarket. Kevin Ryan is now in the middle of a very good run after his well documented problems earlier in the season, but Tommy Taylor has had the luck go against him on both his last two attempts on this course.
Returning from a long lay-off and thought to be in need of the race, he was just touched off in a valuable event at the July meeting and, as a result, was then strongly fancied to go one better 21 days ago. However, he was badly hampered when trying to deliver his challenge, and trailed in only 13th behind The Feathered Nest.
His work continues to be of a high quality, and connections are more than hopeful he can now gain compensation.
Owen Burrows has conscripted Kieran Shoemark to partner Shabaaby and they look a winning combination in the Randox Health Novice Stakes. There was plenty to like about his debut effort behind Nyaleti and Billesdon Brook at Salisbury back in June and both first and second have done more than enough in the interim to suggest the form is very good.
If that were not enough, the fourth, fifth and sixth have also proved very useful, and Shabaaby will not have to improve too much during his break to suggest he will run a big race here.
Michael Bell continues to work his magic with Merlin and The Queen's progressive three-year-old is not to be missed in the Randox Health Handicap over six furlongs.
This son of Oasis Dream has a touch of class about him and scored effortlessly at Haydock last time, for which a 9lb rise doesn't look too harsh at all. He's worth sticking with in his current mood.
There's a groovy-looking bet to be had in the Randoxhealth.com Handicap as David Simcock's Goldmember (insert your own punchline) has slipped to an attractive mark and could take full advantage on his belated first run in a handicap.
Robin Weathers takes the eye as a once-raced Salisbury maiden winner handed a fair opening mark (80) for the Randox Food Handicap.
Owners St Albans Bloodstock Limited enjoyed a nice payday with Luca Cumani's God Given winning a Group Three in France over the weekend and this William Haggas representative is likely to have learnt a great deal from his introductory outing.
Cumani applies a hood to Blind Faith in Ripon's British Stallion Studs EBF Fillies' Handicap and that move after the keen-going sort finished well for third at Chelmsford.
She's entitled to have won more than the solitary race so far and Saturday could be her day to get back on an upward curve.
Kevin Ryan should also go close with Teruntum Star in the William Hill Silver Trophy Handicap at the Garden Racecourse. He has been something of an inconsistent sprinter, but connections are more than hopeful they have him in a good place at the momentum, and believe he will be much sharper for his latest run, an eye-catching fourth behind Flying Pursuit at York.
Charlie Hills is looking for a big weekend ahead of sending an A-team up to the Knavesmire for the four-day fest next week, and he can warm up with a big sprint success with Shanghai Glory in the feature Great St Wilfrid Handicap.
The Faringdon Place team were quietly confident of a big run from the four-year-old in the Stewards' Cup a couple of weeks back and their assessment proved close to the mark with a very respectable fifth behind Lancelot Du Lac.
Relatively lightly raced for a sprint handicapper, Shanghai Glory is expected to step up further from what was only his second outing of the campaign, and it is worth bearing in mind that his partner at Goodwood, Fran Berry, felt with a little more luck in running, he would have given the principals more to do.
Hills is also active at his local course and he has bright prospects of landing a Listed win with Ripley in the Denford Stakes at Newbury. Charlie's father Barry has a fair record in this particular event, and "junior" is hoping this daughter of Declaration Of War can build on her promising debut effort in what looked a hot maiden at Goodwood.
She was closing on the more experienced Roulette in the closing stages, and her subsequent work suggests she has made a significant move forward.
Hey Gaman and Learn By Heart are the obvious dangers but at the odds Ripley is preferred.
There's an appealing each-way option in the Betfred Geoffrey Freer Stakes too with Wall Of Fire fancied to run a big race after being put through his paces under Josephine Gordon on the gallops this week.
Frontiersman has the best form in the book and the well-regarded Defoe gets weight from his elders but Wall Of Fire might be able to pounce late in the piece and pick up some prize money. He was only beaten a length and a half by Western Hymn at Chester's May meeting and can be excused a subsequent no-show over two miles out in the States. He looks on good terms with himself back on home soil and shouldn't be underestimated.
It looks a particularly warm running of the Group Two Betfred Hungerford Stakes but Gosden managed to win it with Richard Pankhurst 12 months ago and runs Nathra and Daban.
Jo-Go gets the leg up on the latter and she must be of interest resuming after a break since her Jersey Stakes sixth. She was third in the 1000 Guineas behind Winter prior to that and rates a filly of potential still. Genuine ease in the ground would be an obvious concern, though.
Another Gosden fancy is newcomer Erdogan in the Betfred Proud To Work With Simpson Group EBF Maiden Stakes.
The master trainer has played a patient game with the Frankel colt, who made 750,000 guineas as a yearling, and his steady approach could be rewarded immediately if the horse's prep work is anything to go by.
Capton can land an overdue success in the Betfred Supports Jack Berry House Handicap (Div II). Henry Candy's four-year-old has threatened to deceive with one or two past performances, but his trainer has always felt he is a horse who needs a bit of time to strengthen up, and that was possibly borne out by his highly creditable second to Lawmaking at Newmarket last time. That was only the sixth race of his career, and he may be ready at last to begin to fulfill his potential.
Vibrant Chords looks another big chance for Candy in the Like Sun Bets On Facebook Handicap at Doncaster.
He showed a touch of class during the spring with a win at Goodwood, but then had to have time off, and was not at his sharpest on his return to the big meeting for a tough handicap 18 days ago. This represents a drop in class, and if everything falls right, he should want plenty of beating.
Stream Song ran better than her final finishing position suggests on her debut in a good maiden at Ascot, and she can be expected to improve on the performance in the Follow Sun Bets Maiden. This looks like an easier opportunity, and this stoutly-bred daughter of Mastercraftsman should appreciate the step up to a mile and the prevailing easy ground.
Johnny Barnes, a stablemate of Stream Song, showed he was not far away from a lucrative success when finishing strongly to occupy fourth in the International at Ascot three weeks ago, and he is another strongly fancied to take advantage of a slightly less competitive event in the sunbets.co.uk Youbetcha Handicap.
Redicean has featured for this column in the past and looks noteworthy starting out for David O'Meara in the sunbets.co.uk Handicap but he'll have a job on his hands trying ti deal with Alfarris.
The selection will be suited by the return to 10 furlongs after a far-from-disgraceful effort in fourth behind Bin Battuta at Ascot. He's considered well handicapped by the Haggas team.
Over the jumps at Southwell on Sunday, Harry Fry introduces an interesting new Irish import in the Vivienne Squires Trophy Handicap Chase.
Formerly trained by Sandra Hughes, Art Of Payroll won his last race in the Emerald Isle before heading for Dorset, and it was hoped he would make his British bow in last month's Summer Plate at Market Rasen. However, he was deemed not to be quite ready and will now accompany stablemates Henryville and Voix D'Eau to post for this good quality two and a half miler. He has trained well in his build-up and looks to have a sound each-way chance.
Next Off
Most Followed
MOST READ RACING
