John Ingles provides an overview of the key things to note on Wednesday.
Strong Aintree form points to Highlands Legacy
Highlands Legacy has made an excellent start to his chasing career for Jonjo & A. J. O’Neill and he can make it two out of three over fences in the two-mile handicap chase at Newbury (13:58). The six-year-old had fair winning form over hurdles but has already proven himself a better chaser with the promise of further improvement to come.
He jumped accurately when making his debut over fences in a handicap at Worcester on his reappearance in October, being well on top by the line, and while he was beaten at Aintree next time, he showed improved form in a better-grade handicap and the form of that race is working out particularly well. Four-year-old winner Mambonumberfive is another progressive chaser as he showed when following up at Newbury’s last meeting, while the third, Glengouly, went on to win the December Gold Cup at Cheltenham last weekend. The fourth, Javert Allen, has run well since and the fifth, Jour d’Evasion, was another next-time-out winner at Bangor.
In the circumstances, Highlands Legacy remains on a favourable mark just 3 lb higher than at Aintree which makes him clear top in the Timeform weight-adjusted ratings, while he also earned the ‘Horse In Focus’ flag from that three-quarter length defeat.
Hat-trick seeker makes Instant Appeal at Dundalk
The best race on Dundalk’s evening card is one of the three seven-furlong handicaps (17:55) where top weight Big Gossey runs from a Turf Club mark of 100. This contest has been won for the last two years by Apache Outlaw who is in the field again, though his trainer Ado McGuinness runs a total of four, including sole three-year-old Dark Ace who tries this trip for the first time but is a course winner himself and earned the ‘Horse In Focus’ flag here on his latest start.
However, they may well find the hat-trick seeking Instant Appeal hard to beat, trained by Stephen Thorne, former assistant to McGuinness who is also his cousin. Thorne was one of the ‘Rising Star’ trainers in Timeform’s Horses To Follow this year and the trainer is coming to the end of a successful first full year with a licence. He has done particularly well at Dundalk, boasting a 25% strike rate at the track in 2025, while his 18 course winners put him only just behind the totals of Adrian Murray and McGuinness.
Instant Appeal was formerly trained by Jessica Harrington but has taken his form up a notch since joining Thorne this autumn, winning his last two starts at Dundalk over a mile. He earned the ‘Horse In Focus’ flag for his latest win when doing well to come from off the pace in a race run at just a modest gallop to win with plenty in hand by a length from Carolina Jetstream. The third and fourth, Howyoulikethat and Exquisite Acclaim, take on Instant Appeal again here, and so too does Apache Outlaw, though he was much further back, shaping as if needing the run after a break.
Smart performers meet in Wild Flower Stakes at Kempton
Four of the six runners in Kempton’s Wild Flower Stakes (18:10), a listed contest over a mile and a half, boast smart Timeform ratings of 116 or more which is a standard many a Group race during the height of the turf season might struggle to reach. Adjusted for weight carried, there’s only 3 lb covering the same quartet on Timeform ratings.
Rebel's Romance, successful two years ago, stands out among past winners and his trainer Charlie Appleby bids to win it again, this time with Ancient Wisdom who makes his all-weather debut after finishing second to Hamish in the St Simon Stakes at Newbury on his latest start. West Wind Blows was runner-up in such races as the Hardwicke Stakes and the Caulfield Cup in Australia in 2023 and he shaped as if retaining his ability after two years off when runner-up to runaway winner Shader in the Floodlit Stakes, another listed race over course and distance last month.
Shader then started odds on to keep his unbeaten all-weather record in the listed Churchill Stakes at Southwell late last month but in receipt of weight got outbattled by William Haggas’ very smart globe-trotter Dubai Honour who came out on top by a length. The pair meet on the same terms here and could well be fighting out the finish again. Runner-up in the Hong Kong Vase this time last year, Dubai Honour went on to gain his latest Group 1 win in Australia in the spring in the Tancred Stakes and he looks capable of giving weight away all round again for his ‘Hot Trainer’ who won this with Pablo Escobarr in 2019.
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