Lambourn trainer Roger Teal has had a frustrating time of things with a couple of his bigger names owned by Fishdance Limited so far this year, Dancing Gemini finding one too good in the French Guineas before failing to see out the trip in the Derby, and the four-year-old Dancing Magic no doubt adding to the Epsom annoyance.
He bolted on his way to post which resulted in him having to be withdrawn at the start from the 10-furlong Trusatrader Handicap, a race that looked well within range for the son of Camelot after a good effort over seven and a half furlongs at Chester previously.
He’s evidently thought to be on a good mark, having gone off 3/1 favourite under William Buick at the May meeting, and it looks a matter of time before this long-standing, quality maiden – who was third in last year’s Craven – finally opens his account.
Perhaps Saturday’s contest over the stiff mile at Sandown will prove the ideal opportunity – providing he’s on his best behaviour, of course.
Andrew Balding can’t have had it all his own way with Mount Teide as the well-bred son of Too Darn Hot was gelded in the autumn after failing to make the track at two. He’s evidently grown up quickly this time around, though, and all three runs have left the distinct impression he could be a useful handicapper at the very least.
Beaten less than a length into fourth behind subsequent Heron Stakes runner-up Kikkuli on debut at Newmarket’s Craven meeting, he then got mugged by an 80/1 shot (Monkey Island) at Newbury before setting the record straight with an all-the-way victory in a Chepstow novice late last month (replay below).
He’s already as short as 14/1 in the antepost books for the Bunbury Cup on the July Course and, from an opening mark of 89, can tee up a shot at that prestigious handicap with victory either at Chester or Sandown this weekend.
Snapped up for 24,000 from Roger Varian’s yard, the five-year-old Kitsune Power has come down 10lb in the weights since signing off last autumn and showed his first bit of promise for new connections at Thirsk last Friday.
Stepping back up to a mile and a half and racing on some quick ground again both played to the horse’s strengths, and he’s got weekend options at York and Thirsk, the latter a Sky Bet Sunday Series race over a mile and three-quarters.
That’s a valuable pot but new trainer Tim Easterby likes having runners in York’s Queen Mother’s Cup (1m4f) and won it in 2016 with Snoano, who had joined from Newmarket earlier that year and was making a quick turnaround after finishing fourth 12 days earlier at Redcar.
This horse could look to tread a similar path eight days on from his promising latest effort.
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