John Ingles provides an overview of the key things to note on Friday.
Three points of interest
Four hat-trick seekers in Pat Eddery Stakes
Ascot’s Pat Eddery Stakes (14:25), a listed contest for two-year-olds over seven furlongs, looks a competitive renewal with six of the seven colts having won last time out. Of those, four are unbeaten and there are also four runners seeking a hat-trick of wins. They include A Bit of Spirit who has won both his novices at Newbury and Salisbury for Clive Cox and was well on top when landing the odds under a penalty at the latter track. He caused an upset when beating hot favourite Time To Turn on his Newbury debut and meets that rival again here, with Charlie Appleby’s colt having since made the most of an easy task at Wolverhampton. Appleby, incidentally, has won four of the last six runnings of this race.
That pair have leading claims but Karl Burke’s Reciprocated is also two from two and is taken to keep his unbeaten record stepping up in trip. He won a novice at Nottingham on his debut last month which worked out particularly well with four of the first five home all winning next time out. Reciprocated himself followed up in a valuable similar event at Carlisle later in June, making all the running to win readily by four lengths from main market rival Regional Rock. The combination of soft ground and Carlisle’s stiff finish suggests Reciprocated won’t be inconvenienced by the extra furlong here.
Sheikh Mohammed Obaid Al Maktoum won the Pat Eddery two years ago with the now high-class Rosallion, and Reciprocated, who holds some bigger entries later on, can carry his colours to success again.
Diesel looks well handicapped for new yard
Uttoxeter’s card features some good-sized fields, including the two-mile handicap hurdle (15:12) which has 16 declared. However, this may not prove quite as competitive as the numbers suggest as Diesel Line looks on a very good mark, coming out fully 7 lb clear in the Timeform weight-adjusted ratings.
While Diesel Line had won on his bumper debut for Jeremy Scott, he failed to get his head in front over hurdles for his former yard though was placed on several occasions. However, he could put that right now as he showed improved form in a first-time tongue tie when making his debut for Charles and Adam Pogson in a novices’ handicap over today’s course and distance nine days ago. Diesel Line found only the gambled-on favourite Monticello too good after challenging approaching the last but was beaten only half a length having pulled a little way clear of the remainder.
Able to race off the same mark here, Diesel Line looks handicapped to go very close again. It’s worth noting his jockey James Bowen has a very good record when riding for the Pogson stable over the last five seasons, with five wins and five placed efforts from 16 rides.
Oaks sixth Revoir interesting back down in trip and grade
Ralph Beckett’s Revoir was having just her third start when contesting last month’s Oaks, and while she was beaten nearly a dozen lengths in the end in sixth behind Minnie Hauk, she shaped better than the distance beaten suggests, lacking the necessary stamina, it seemed, as well as experience. There was certainly some encouragement, though, with the way she made a forward move over two furlongs out before her effort petered out. She remains open to improvement and faces an easier task in York’s listed Lyric Fillies’ Stakes (19:48) over a mile and a quarter.
Conditions are forecast to be on the soft side at York and Revoir handled even more testing conditions really well when making a successful debut in a maiden at Nottingham last autumn. In contrast, the going was firm for her reappearance in a listed race at Newbury in May when she did everything bar win in a messy race and kept on to be beaten a short head by Qilin Queen. She finished ahead of that filly at Epsom and Qilin Queen has since bounced back to win a Group 2 prize in France, the Prix de Malleret.
Older filly Rainbows Edge sets the standard here form-wise but she didn’t seem to have any excuses when a beaten favourite in the Kensington Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot last time, so Revoir is taken to come out on top with further progress expected.
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