Tony McFadden provides an overview of the key things to note on Monday.
Sarab Star takes the eye on handicap debut
Sarab Star, a winner of two of his three starts to date, boasts an attractive profile heading into his first handicap at Kempton (14:30) on Monday and is the only runner in the seven-furlong event with the Timeform 'small p' to show that further improvement is expected.
Sarab Star was all the rage on debut at Salisbury last year and overcame inexperience to land the odds, edging ahead close home from another debutant, Good Banter, who went on to win his two subsequent starts as a juvenile. Sarab Star came up short on his only other start last season, though it's easy to overlook that effort given he was raised markedly in class for the Group 2 Mill Reef Stakes which was run on very testing ground. He certainly got back to looking like a smart prospect when making a successful reappearance over this course and distance in August, seeing things out well on his first start at seven furlongs to score by a length and a half with the runner-up eight and a half lengths clear of the third.
Trainer Jack Channon evidently believes there's more to come from Sarab Star as he went to 200,000 guineas at the Tattersalls Horse In Training Sales last week to keep him in the yard. Channon has enjoyed success with handicap debutants this year, sending out six winners from 26 runners with such types at a strike rate of 23.1%, and the unexposed Sarab Star has the ability to enhance his trainer's good record.
Oman can take advantage of drop in class
Oman has yet to contribute to Tony Carroll's career-best tally of winners this year, which stands at 107 heading into racing on Monday. However, Oman has been shaping as if capable of taking advantage of his much-reduced mark, and he catches the eye down in grade in the class 6 mile handicap (16:30) that concludes the card at Kempton.
Oman was only ninth in an amateur riders' handicap at Wolverhampton on his penultimate start, but he shaped much better than the result would suggest as he was short of room in the straight and barely came off the bridle under his inexperienced jockey.
Oman was back in the hands of a more experienced rider at Wolverhampton last time, though he again wasn't seen to best effect having been forced to make his effort wider and from further back than ideal. He was unable to challenge the decisive four and three-quarter-length winner, Mc'Ted, who was completing a hat-trick, but he stayed on well for second, prompting Timeform's reporter to comment that he "has dipped below his last winning mark and seems to be building up to something".
He remains off the same mark as last time, which is 1 lb below the rating he defied at Yarmouth last season, but crucially takes a drop in grade here into class 6 company for the first time in his career. Versatile in regards distance, the marked step back up in trip here shouldn't be an issue given he has winning form over even further, and he should be able to make his relative class count in this 0-65 contest.
Timeform Flags point to Moira Express
The five-furlong nursery (17:00) at Wolverhampton has attracted only five runners but three of them have the Timeform 'small p', so it could be an interesting race of its type. The one who looks open to greatest improvement, however, is Moira Express following an eye-catching effort in defeat over course and distance last time.
She had shown little on her first couple of starts but took a step in the right direction when fourth over this course and distance in September and built on that encouragement when going close in third back here last month.
Moira Express was beaten only a neck and a nose and deserves plenty of credit for finishing so close given all eight rivals were still in front of her approaching the final furlong. The way she powered home to grab an unlikely place earned her the Horse In Focus Flag from Timeform's reporter, marking her out as one likely to be of firm interest next time. The visual impression was also backed up by the sectional times and she earned an upgrade 10 lb higher than the winner and 4 lb higher than the runner-up. That finishing flourish, which earned her the Sectional Timing Flag, suggests she still has much more to offer under more favourable circumstances, so a slight 2 lb rise in the weights shouldn't be enough to stop her.
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