Ed Watson previews the Sky Bet Sunday Series card from Newmarket as he chats to connections about a trio of horses.
Scottish Sun columnist and Racing TV analyst Ed Watson runs the rule over the second Sky Bet Sunday Series card of the season at Newmarket, where he fancies a locally-trained runner to continue his recent progress and close in on a shot at emulating last year's £100,000 bonus winner Letsbefrank.
THE BEST BET
SPORTINGSILVERMINE (5.15 Newmarket)
Should Izzari come up short in the preceding 7f handicap, a much deeper race than the one he won at Musselburgh five weeks ago, SPORTINGSILVERMINE will have the ideal opportunity to put himself in pole position to claim the six-figure bonus on offer to the first horse to win three times. While Iain Jardine has kept his powder dry since then to preserve Izzari’s mark, Sportingsilvermine has showed his hand again since, producing another significant personal-best Timeform figure when going down narrowly to an equally progressive sort in an apprentices’ handicap at Chester.
He’s copped an unhelpful 3lb rise for that effort in a non-Sunday Series race, but I strongly suspect he has enough up his sleeve to make a swift return to winning ways following victories at Southwell and then in Scotland on his first two starts since swapping Denis Hogan’s Tipperary yard for the upwardly-mobile Newmarket one of James Owen.
Already Timeform top-rated, this step up from 1m4f to 1m6f for the first time is likely to draw out further improvement, while the return in the saddle of Hector Crouch - who was on board for both earlier wins - is another plus for a horse with seemingly plenty more to offer.
The Inside Track: “It’s an easy 1m4f at Musselburgh, but he was going away again at the line and it looks as though he should get 1m6f no bother. We took a chance going to Chester and just bumped into one. He’s come out of that race well and James is really happy with him. I’m hoping he can win again on Sunday as it will give us a few chances to go for the bonus.” - Gordon McDowall, owner
THE NEXT BEST
ZARZYNI (4.15 Newmarket)
An unlucky loser at Musselburgh’s Series opener, ZARZYNI gained compensation at the Scottish circuit’s valuable Easter Saturday card six days later. The gaps appeared just in time that day at a track where his run style often leaves him as a hostage to fortune in 5f races that typically unfold close to the stands’ rail. Hard-luck stories should be much fewer and farther between on the wide expanses of the Rowley Mile, especially in a 10-runner field and with the stalls now shifted into the centre.
For my money, Zarzyni won a shade more cosily at Musselburgh than the official neck margin implies. A 2lb rise should be more than manageable given Timeform’s forecast strong pace, which should allow Paul Mulrennan - who takes over from Connor Beasley on this David and Nicola Barron-trained sprinter for the first time - to pick which of the pace-pushers to track before delivering this evergreen sprinter with his trademark late burst.
Top on Timeform ratings, a close fourth in the 2022 Palace House Stakes over course and distance on his only previous visit to HQ suggests he won’t have any issues with the nuances of the Rowley Mile.
Fletcher’s Flight was steadily progressive in the second half of last season and ran well in the face of a pace bias on his return at Yarmouth, before then completely blowing the start at Ascot last time when sent off favourite. A proper unit, I have reservations about Newmarket’s undulations on drying ground playing to his strengths, but he’s one who could yet find further improvement as a five-year-old this season.
The Inside Track: “I’ve not ridden Zarzyini before but I’ve ridden against him plenty of times, so I know his style of racing. He’s very similar to a lot of the sprinters I ride for Jim Goldie in that respect. A strong pace will suit him and I'll be looking to get some cover where I can.” - Paul Mulrennan, jockey
THE OUTSIDE BET
COLUMNIST (5.45 Newmarket)
Unless my reading of last season’s Coventry and Superlative Stakes is all wrong, I can’t work out why COLUMNIST should be the complete rag of this field for his second start in a handicap. Maybe it’s something to do with his first handicap start at Ascot nine days ago, when he beat only two home over 7f.
While you need to give him a free pass for that effort, I’d be inclined to give him the benefit of the doubt. He got no cover from a wide draw and did plenty of early running as a result. It was also his first start since being off the track since last July.
Admittedly, he’s going to have to step up plenty on that run turned out relatively quickly. However, his juvenile form last summer - against the likes of Rashabar, Camile Pissarro and Cool Hoof Luke in the Coventry; then Ancient Truth and Wimbledon Hawkeye in the Superlative on the July Course - hints a horse that should be more than capable of making an impact in handicaps off a mark of 101. This return to 6f should also be a positive for this son of Ardad, whose prime asset to my eyes appears to be speed.
The Inside Track: “He’s fine, don’t get me wrong, but he looks far enough up in the weights. Dropping back to six furlongs might help him but we’ll see. Fitness-wise I’m happy, he’s come on from Ascot, but I just wonder if this might be difficult off his mark of 101.” - Richard Fahey, trainer
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