John Ingles provides an overview of the key things to note on Monday.
Three points of interest
William Buick can make most of rare trip to Wolverhampton
Wolverhampton on a Monday night is far from being a regular gig for William Buick. In fact, it will be his first visit to the track at all this year after just two rides there in 2024. However, he went close to landing a double on that occasion last March, winning the listed Lady Wulfruna Stakes on Nine Tenths for William Haggas before being beaten a head in the Lincoln Trial.
The main reason for Buick’s appearance at Wolverhampton is to partner Godolphin two-year-old Time To Turn in the maiden at 18:30. He has finished second in both his starts to date under Buick and sets a standard which should make him very hard to beat. Buick may well already have a winner on the board by then as the opening two-year-old fillies’ maiden (18:00) can go to his mount Rose of Spain, trained by Richard Hughes, who can make a winning debut in a weak-looking contest.
Later on the card, Buick has a couple of rides for James Tate in both divisions of the six-furlong handicap. Stanley Spencer has claims in division I (19:30) while Hello Zaman, who heads the Timeform weight-adjusted ratings in division II (20:00), looks the one to beat in his race. He found things a bit hot at the All-Weather Championships but fared much better when runner-up at Kempton last time and his profile as an unexposed three-year-old is interesting taking on some older rivals this time.
Castle looks best of Pickering team
Three members of the same family will be in action across two meetings on Monday, all three trained by David Simcock for their owner-breeder Alan Pickering who names his horses after places in York, where he grew up, and the surrounding area.
City of York will be suited by the return to a mile at Ffos Las (16:15) after finding seven furlongs on the sharp side last time and he’ll have underfoot conditions in his favour with soft going forecast as he goes well in testing conditions. He’s also coming down the weights after a winless spell dating back to the autumn of 2023.
Pickering’s other two runners contest the same race at Wolverhampton, a six-furlong maiden (19:00) where Pickering Castle narrowly heads the Timeform weight-adjusted ratings, but relative Fulford Cross is one of a few close behind. Pickering Castle and Fulford Cross are out of a pair of half-sisters, with Pickering Castle being the younger brother to City of York. Placed in his last three starts and beaten less than a length each time, including when a couple of necks third at Lingfield on his latest start, Pickering Castle looks capable of going close again back on the all-weather and with Luke Morris taking over in the saddle.
Lequinto bidding for quick Windsor hat-trick
Lequinto had been on a lengthy losing run and had even gained the Timeform ‘squiggle’, marking him out as one to treat with caution, but a recent wind operation seems to have worked wonders for Tony Carroll’s eight-year-old.
Whilst also successful on the all-weather earlier in his career, Lequinto has done all his winning on turf at Windsor and he was well backed when successful in an apprentice race there a week ago, having dropped a long way in the weights and back on firmer ground. That was his first win since being successful on the same card two years earlier and he provided his jockey Matthew Lloyd Slater with the first win of his career. A second quickly followed, however, as the partnership was successful back at Windsor on Saturday when Lequinto landed the odds over five furlongs.
Unlike then, Lequinto has a 4 lb penalty to carry this time, but he heads the Timeform weight-adjusted ratings and both horse and jockey look capable of completing a quick course hat-trick in the final race (20:45) on Windsor's card.
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