Tony McFadden of Timeform provides an overview of the key things to note on Wednesday.
Beach Point's form is working out well
Beach Point has finished runner-up on six of his last seven starts, but he's not been doing much wrong and it's certainly difficult to criticise his latest second given how well the form has worked out.
The winner, third and fourth from that mile-and-a-quarter handicap at Leicester all won next time out, while even the fifth has since run well and been only narrowly denied.
In addition to how well the form has worked out, it's also worth highlighting the positive view Timeform's reporter took of Beach Point's display, commenting that he went like arguably the best horse at the weights but an uncharacteristic slow start meant he conceded first run to the all-the-way winner.
Beach Point was awarded the Horse In Focus Flag by Timeform's reporter, marking him out as one likely to be of interest next time, even before the strength of the form was apparent. Beach Point also has Timeform's Sectional Timing Flag to show that the clock backs up the visual impression and that he can have his effort upgraded for putting in some good late work in a tactical affair.
He bids to gain some reward for his consistency in the opening apprentice handicap (17:50) at Kempton.
Haggas bidding to enhance excellent record in Ireland
William Haggas has long been established as an excellent placer of his horses, so it's perhaps unsurprising that he boasts a fine record with the runners he elects to send to Ireland.
Since the start of 2015, Haggas' record in Ireland stands at 13 winners from 47 runners at a strike rate of 27.7%, and backing each of those runners to £1 level stakes would have returned a profit of £25.48. A percentage-of-rivals beaten figure of 70% also catches the eye.
Haggas sends only the one runner to Fairyhouse on Wednesday, with Santorini Star contesting the feature Group 3 Stanerra Stakes (18:00).
Perhaps there's an element of trying to find some black type, but that probably could have been sourced closer to home, and the trainer's 32% strike rate with fillies in Ireland since 2015 offers hope Santorini Star can be more than a bit-part player.
She was a disappointing favourite in listed company at Pontefract last time, but that race didn't develop ideally as she was caught wide in the early stages, so it's probably best to overlook that effort and focus on how progressive she had been in handicap company. She retains the Timeform 'small p' to show she's expected to progress further, with the step up to a mile and three-quarters offering a potential source of improvement given the stamina in her pedigree.
Murphy booking a boost for Kempton rides
Oisin Murphy is already approaching a century on the Flat in Britain this year and his 94 winners have come at an excellent strike rate of just shy of 25%.
That's comfortably the highest strike rate among jockeys who have had at least 50 rides this year, with only Ryan Moore (22.7%), William Buick (21.9%) and James Doyle (21.5%) breaching the 20% mark.
Even by his own standards, Murphy's winners have come at a rapid rate as his previous best strike for a calendar year was 21.7% in 2024. It's no surprise, therefore, that his presence in the saddle can be considered a boost for most horses, and three of his mounts at Kempton on Wednesday have Timeform's Jockey Uplift Flag.
Gallant Lion (19:20), I Follow Rivers (19:55) and Wadacre Grace (20:25) can all be given claims with Murphy taking over for the first time, though the last named is arguably most interesting from a falling mark.
Wadacre Grace hasn't been at her best in two starts since returning from a 13-month layoff, but she drops to a more suitable trip, eases in grade into class 6 company and is 2 lb below the mark she defied at Chelmsford last year. Her trainer, Charlie Johnston, sent out 30 winners in June, a tally topped only by Andrew Balding's 32.
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