John Ingles provides an overview of the key things to note this Friday.
Three points of interest
Approach looks Wise choice in Rose Bowl
'Hot Trainer' Charlie Appleby and William Buick teamed up for seven winners at last week’s July Festival at Newmarket, with three of those being two-year-olds. The Godolphin team will be hoping that red-hot form carries over to Newbury where two more of their youngsters have leading chances. $700,000 yearling Ruler of Time looks a very interesting newcomer in the novice at 15:00, while Wise Approach is the clear form pick in the listed Rose Bowl Stakes (16:10).
Appleby fared less well at Royal Ascot last month, but Wise Approach showed much improved form in finishing second in the Norfolk Stakes, a race his half-brother Perfect Power had won four years previously. While he proved no match for smart winner Charles Darwin who led throughout, Wise Approach was putting in his best work at the finish in keeping on to take second in the final fifty yards, shaping very much as though a return to six furlongs will suit.
Wise Approach had finished fourth in a valuable novice at York over the extra furlong on his previous start (won by First Legion who was down the field in the Norfolk and reopposes here), having made a highly promising winning debut in a conditions race at Ascot. With further improvement to come back up in trip, Wise Approach should be hard to beat, 9 lb clear in the Timeform weight-adjusted ratings.
Rush can outpace rivals in Scottish Stewards’ Cup
Richard Fahey, Michael Dods and Kevin Ryan have all won recent editions of Hamilton’s Scottish Stewards’ Cup (18:35) and all three trainers are represented in this year’s renewal worth over £18,000 to the winner. Ryan has three runners and Dods two, including his 2021 winner Commanche Falls.
A southern-trained three-year-old therefore wouldn’t confirm to the usual profile of a winner of this six-furlong handicap, but Charlie Hills’ Double Rush makes plenty of appeal under Danny Tudhope who was the winning jockey in 2017. Tudhope has an excellent 22% strike rate at Hamilton over the last five years, so it’s fair to say he has more familiarity with the track than Double Rush’s trainer who has only had three runners at Hamilton before, though all three were placed.
After winning a maiden by four lengths on his reappearance at Wolverhampton, Double Rush followed up in comfortable fashion when thrown in at the weights on his handicap debut at Newmarket, form which has worked out well. While he couldn’t complete the hat-trick in another valuable three-year-old handicap at York last time after a break, Double Rush shaped promisingly in third behind Hucklesbrook after missing the break and being left poorly placed as a result, earning him the ‘Horse In Focus’ flag. A 5 lb rise for his Newmarket win is lenient – he heads the Timeform weight-adjusted ratings – and he’s capable of gaining compensation here.
Waistcoat an in-form recruit for new trainer
Newmarket trainer Ross Burdon, former assistant to Kevin Philippart de Foy, had his first runner at the Craven meeting in April and got off the mark when sprinter Mesaafi completed a quick double at Chelmsford and Lingfield at the beginning of last month. Only a handful of different horses have run for the yard to date, but new recruit Waistcoat is a gelding in form and can make a successful stable debut in Newmarket’s seven-furlong handicap (20:10).
Although only a four-year-old, Waistcoat has had three different trainers already, with his latest handler Dylan Cunha finding the key to him when dropping him back in trip. Despite being by Sea The Stars, Waistcoat has plenty of pace as he showed when winning six-furlong handicaps at Leicester in April and Nottingham in June. However, his last two starts over seven furlongs have been at least creditable efforts and he shaped well last time when fourth behind Rascal Recknell in a finish of necks and heads at Doncaster.
Waistcoat had to concede first run when forced to switch before staying on and earned the ‘Horse In Focus’ flag, giving the impression he’s going the right way now and can win more handicaps. Heading the Timeform weight-adjusted ratings, he makes plenty of appeal.
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