John Ingles provides an overview of the key things to note on Monday.
Ground has come good again for Star Cast
It’s been a while since the word 'soft' has appeared in a going description, and though it’s only officially ‘good to soft in places’ at Ayr on an otherwise ‘good’ surface, that’s been enough to have had a positive impact on field sizes, with double-figure line-ups declared in all bar the opening contest.
One who has evidently been waiting for an end to the prolonged dry spell is Gemma Tutty’s likeable filly Star Cast who returns in one of the mile and a quarter handicaps (15:15). She’s had a break since mid-June but had been in top form prior to that throughout the first half of the year. Her first three wins this year all came on the all-weather at Newcastle and since then she has won another three races on turf at Ripon, Chester and over today’s course and distance.
Star Cast’s last two wins came on soft ground, and at Ayr she wasn’t hard pressed to overcome a 5 lb penalty for her Chester win the week before, looking set to win even more convincingly before idling close home. That earned Star Cast the ‘Horses For Courses’ flag, and with apprentice Jake Dickson keeping the ride from last time, she still looks well treated, coming out 3 lb clear in the Timeform weight-adjusted ratings.
Promise can turn the tables at Kempton
Kempton’s mile handicap for three-year-olds (16:00) sees a rematch between a couple of progressive rivals who finished one-two over course and distance just over a month ago when pulling clear of the rest. On that occasion, Marco Botti’s Roi de Coeur, making his handicap debut, came out on top to deny Fallacious Promise by three quarters of a length.
However, the latter, turned out under a penalty after a facile win at Lingfield just two days earlier, ended up with plenty to do as a result of trouble in running two furlongs out but challenged in the final hundred yards and beat all bar the winner emphatically, earning the ‘Horse In Focus’ flag.
Trained by John Butler, who has the ‘Hot Trainer’ flag after notching a double at Kempton last week, Fallacious Promise is clearly on the upgrade and, while he has gone up another 4 lb here, heading the Timeform weight-adjusted ratings he has good claims of turning the tables on Roi de Coeur.
Trefor can go one better than last year in Windsor Final
We’ve featured a number of qualifiers in the Fitzdares Sprint Series at Windsor in Daily View in past months and now it’s the Final of that Series, with 16 runners declared over six furlongs (19:15) chasing a first prize of more than £40,000. To be eligible for the final, runners had to have finished in the first six in one of the qualifying heats. No fewer than six in the field – Another Abbot, Diligently, King of Light, Dream Composer, Justcallmepete and Purest Time – all won qualifiers, and the pick of those may be Another Abbot who hasn’t been the most consistent but got his head in front over course and distance a fortnight ago.
However, the pair to concentrate are Trefor and Badri who also qualified for last year’s Final when they finished second and third respectively. Top weight Badri qualified for this year’s Final when sixth behind Purest Time here in May but has been in top form elsewhere since, winning at Redcar and then completing a Pontefract hat-trick in his last three starts.
‘Hot Trainer’ Charlie Hills’ Trefor has had a lower-key campaign this season after three wins last year which included a heritage handicap at York’s Ebor meeting. However, he has come down the weights as a result and is now 3 lb lower than when runner-up here last year, adding to a course record which has earned him the ‘Horses For Courses’ flag. Whilst in rear in competitive handicaps at Ascot the last twice, including the Wokingham, before that Trefor shaped well in the qualifier won by Justcallmepete here in May when unlucky not to finish closer than fourth after having to be snatched up. He’s one to be interested in, heading the Timeform weight-adjusted ratings.
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