Timeform provide an overview of the key things to note on Thursday.
Appropriate winner of Salisbury’s opener?
Salisbury stage their final meeting of what has been a particularly successful season at the track for Ralph Beckett. He starts the day having notched a dozen winners at his local course, twice as many as his nearest pursuer Rod Millman. Beckett has the ‘Hot Trainer’ flag too, and it will be a surprise if he doesn’t add at least one more win to his track record by the end of the card. Two years ago, Juddmonte’s filly Bluestocking was days away from winning the Arc for the yard, but her career had begun in 2022 with victory in the novice (13:30) that opens Salisbury’s card and now bears her name.
Beckett has an excellent record in this contest, winning both divisions in Bluestocking’s year and being successful again in both 2023 and 2024. He runs two unraced fillies in this year’s renewal, Star Rose and Yamana, and the latter who is Colin Keane’s mount looks particularly interesting as she too is a Juddmonte filly.
Unlike Bluestocking, though, Yamana is not a homebred as she was a 1.5m guineas purchase as a yearling. As you’d expect for that money, she has a fine pedigree, being by Frankel and the first foal of Ville de Grace, a smart filly (Timeform rated 113) whose most important win for Sir Michael Stoute came in the Pride Stakes at Newmarket. Beckett knows the family, though, as he trained Ville de Grace’s smart half-brother Seraph Gabriel who was beaten a nose in the Golden Gates Stakes at Royal Ascot.
Brocklesby one-two meet again
Now we’re into October, the Brocklesby in March seems a long time ago but the first two in the first two-year-old contest of the season at Doncaster in March, A Bear Affair and Dance A Jig, meet again in the most valuable race on Salisbury’s card, the Joan Snow Memorial Conditions Stakes (15:14) over six furlongs. Both colts have proven themselves more than just early-season types and they look capable of fighting out the finish again, though Beckett’s Dance A Jig could well turn the tables.
Richard Hannon’s A Bear Affair, the three-quarter length winner at Doncaster, hasn’t added to that win in seven subsequent starts but was second in a listed race at Sandown in July and shaped as if still in good form in first-time blinkers when fourth to Night In Vegas back at Doncaster in the Weatherbys £300,000 2-Y-O Stakes last time.
Dance A Jig opened his account under top weight in a nursery at Haydock in August and he too had headgear on for the first time on his latest start when a creditable third to Mussab in the listed Harry Rosebery Stakes over five furlongs at Ayr. The visor perked him up, and with 3 lb in hand over A Bear Affair on Timeform weight-adjusted ratings he has good claims reverting to six furlongs.
Longer trip to suit Dialstone
Beckett has every chance of signing off at Salisbury with a winner too in the ‘Season Finale’ Handicap (17:25) over the mile and three quarters which necessitates a flag start. His runner here is lightly-raced three-year-old Dialstone who takes a big step up in trip for his handicap debut.
Dialstone’s three runs in novices all came at ten or eleven furlongs and he was runner-up in the first two, beaten a head on his debut at Ffos Las but then a good deal further at Kempton behind Godolphin’s runaway winner Fortitudine, now smart and unbeaten in three starts after winning a listed race at Newmarket last week. Dialstone meets the third from that race again here, Treble Bass, who has a similar profile and looks his main danger.
Dialstone got off the mark at Bath last time where he did well to reel in main market rival Colonnade who enjoyed the run of things from the front. Dialstone was off the bridle before that one, but he looked better the further he went and was well on top at the finish, earning the ‘Horse In Focus’ flag and looking very much the type to improve further over a longer trip. Dialstone’s pedigree backs that up as his full brother and former stablemate Gnomon was himself a winner over a mile and three quarters.
More from Sporting Life
Safer gambling
We are committed in our support of safer gambling. Recommended bets are advised to over-18s and we strongly encourage readers to wager only what they can afford to lose.
If you are concerned about your gambling, please call the National Gambling Helpline / GamCare on 0808 8020 133.
Further support and information can be found at begambleaware.org and gamblingtherapy.org
