Three big chances:
Maggies Angel 1535 Newbury (4/1 Sky Bet)
Areen Heart 1640 Ripon
Natajack 2030 Haydock
We run five in the Weatherbys Super Sprint at Newbury on Saturday and it would be great to win it again.
Maggies Angel is well in on ratings and any rain will help her. She’s probably better over six furlongs but I hope she’ll get away with five on slower ground here.
Requinto Dawn is in great order and working well. He’s got to find a bit more to win this but I wouldn’t be surprised if he ran okay.
Danehill Desert is up against it on official ratings, at least, and I’d be delighted if he finished in the first 10 and picked up a piece of the prize money.
Inviolable Spirit has been gelded since his last run and is working fine. He was just a little naughty at Pontefract last time but we’re very happy with him right now and he’d have a place chance.
So would Bengali Boys, who brings some rock solid form to the table. He’s getting better with experience and I wouldn’t draw a line through him finishing in the first four.
We run two in the Mick Gibbons Memorial EBF Novice Stakes at Ripon.
Panaphobia looks more of a nursery type and I’d be surprised if he was up to winning a race like this
Royal Diplomat is having his first run for us and I’d be a little worried five furlongs might be on the sharp side for him. Rain would help.
The more the better for Prying Pandora in the Sky Bet Go-Racing-In-Yorkshire Summer Festival Handicap. She’s won already this season and the handicapper has had his say but she’s very fit and very well.
Mustaaqeem is another making his debut for us in the Ripon Bell-Ringer Handicap. He had a setback when he first came here. He was out in a field and tried to jump a fence and picked up a niggle. We’ve given him plenty of time and he’s a nice, big, horse who I’m looking forward to getting going. He might just need this though.
I’d love to see Areen Heart win the VW Van Centre (West Yorkshire) Handicap. I’ve put a hood back on him to try and help him out as he just makes life difficult for himself. He’s a star at home but when he gets to the track it all just gets to him. On ability he’d be very competitive here if everything went right.
Ventura Gold wasn't good enough to win a maiden and I hope the handicapper hasn’t been too harsh with an opening mark of 68 for the Independent Catering Nursery at Lingfeld. We’re happy with the horse going into it.
Indomeneo is a good, hardy horse. He’s very lazy and doesn’t show a lot at home but has run well in his three visits to the track. It’s tough under a penalty in the L & R 5th Anniversary/EBF Novice Stakes, especially if there any rivals in against us with Group-race pretentions but he’ll run his race.
Natajack would like a bit of juice in the ground. He won well at Carlisle last time and while I don’t know how good that race was, he could improve now he has got his head in front. He heads to Haydock for the Betfred Super League Handicap.
