John Ingles provides an overview of the key things to note on Wednesday.
Three points of interest
Fitting winner of Golden Horn Maiden?
Nottingham likes to commemorate some of the horses who have won at the track as two-year-olds before going on to much bigger things in their careers in its race names. Oh So Sharp and Slip Anchor are two such future classic winners, and another is Golden Horn who, eleven years ago to the day, made a winning debut in what was then the Oath Maiden Stakes at Nottingham. Oath was himself a future Derby winner who won his maiden at Nottingham as a two-year-old, but Golden Horn proved a superior Derby winner, subsequently winning the Eclipse, Irish Champion Stakes and Arc as well. The 2020 winner of the Golden Horn Maiden was Adayar, another future Derby winner who also won the King George.
Of the runners in this year’s renewal of the Golden Horn (14:17), Masked Warrior for ‘Hot Trainer’ William Haggas would be an appropriate winner for a couple of reasons. Like Golden Horn, he is owned and bred by Sir Anthony Oppenheimer, and he’s also the first foal out of one of Golden Horn’s daughters, Domino Darling, who was a useful filly for the same connections, beaten a nose in the Galtres Stakes at York.
Haggas has won this race twice since 2018 and can do so again if Masked Warrior makes the expected improvement from his debut at Newbury last month. He looked potentially the best prospect in that novice over seven furlongs and kept on well to finish a length third to Night Patrol. That race has already thrown up winners, and Masked Warrior can be another with the step up to a mile being sure to suit.
Ice Max can follow up handicap success in Robin Hood
Three of the runners in Nottingham’s listed contest of the day, the Robin Hood Stakes (14:47), were last in action on Champions Day eleven days ago. Prague ran in the Champion Stakes itself where he finished down the field, so he’ll appreciate the big drop in grade as well as the softer conditions, while Ebt’s Guard and Cerulean Bay both contested the Balmoral Handicap with the former faring much the better of that pair in finishing a neck second to Crown of Oaks.
However, this could be fought out by a couple of others who have shown smart form in handicaps of late. Treble Tee seemed not to get home in the Cambridgeshire last time where he looked the pick of the weights under a penalty for winning impressively over a mile at the St Leger meeting. He looks well worth another chance back over this trip.
But this can go to Ice Max who heads the Timeform weight-adjusted ratings for ‘Hot Trainer’ Karl Burke. Ice Max was in action on Champions Day himself last year, though finished well beaten in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes. While he won the Celebration Mile at Goodwood earlier last season, he has found life tougher in pattern company this term, though fared better when runner-up in the Diomed Stakes at Epsom in June. On his latest start, however, he made his class tell under top weight in the Autumn Mile Handicap at York which he won with plenty of authority. That was on good ground, but he’s fully proven under testing conditions and can follow up here.
New recruits for James Owen worth a look at Fakenham
Fakenham is a far cry from Del Mar, but before James Owen saddles Wimbledon Hawkeye and Aspect Island at the Breeders’ Cup at the weekend, he’s going back to his roots with three runners at the Norfolk track. Owen started out on the East Anglian point-to-point circuit and won as an amateur rider at Fakenham, while his first winner as a trainer, well before taking out a full licence at Newmarket, came in a hunter chase at the same track as long ago as 2009.
Owen has quickly gained a reputation for doing well with recruits from other yards and two of his runners at Fakenham, which is his top track for winners, are making their stable debuts. Zahra Dodville looks the clear pick on her French form in the fillies’ juvenile hurdle at 14:07, while ex-Irish mare Keep It Cool heads the Timeform weight-adjusted ratings with the ‘Trainer Uplift’ flag in the novices’ handicap hurdle (15:07).
Keep It Cool is still a maiden but she fared better than previously this season in first-time blinkers on her latest start when third to an impressive winner in quite a big field at Navan before leaving Shark Hanlon. The runner-up from that race has won since and Keep It Cool, who is visored for new yard, can gain a breakthrough success.
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