John Ingles provides an overview of the key things to note on Wednesday.
Opening mark could be lenient for Sprightly Dance
No fewer than five horses share top weight in Yarmouth’s mile handicap (16:50) on a BHA mark of 85 which is the ceiling for this race. But that mark could well underestimate the ability of Sprightly Dance who is one of those five and is making her handicap debut for ‘Hot Trainer’ Roger Varian on what is also her first start of the year.
Evidently a late developer, Sprightly Dance didn’t make her debut until last October when runner-up in a fillies’ novice over this same course and distance. That race worked out remarkably well, with five of the field winning next time out, Sprightly Dance included. She faced a simple task when landing the odds against three rivals in a similar event at Wolverhampton later the same month. Sprightly Dance disappointed when stepping up in trip at Chelmsford on her final start last year, and while bred to stay beyond a mile, she’s quite a free-going type, as indicated by the hood she’s worn for all her starts.
Just the type that her stable does well with, Sprightly Dance looks the mostly likely of these to be better than their mark and, heading the Timeform weight-adjusted ratings, can make a successful return to action.
Course-and-distance winner Mister Sky Blue one to note at Hamilton
Hamilton’s six-furlong handicap for amateur riders (18:30) looks a good opportunity for Mister Sky Blue to double his career tally, having gained his only previous win over the same course and distance in May of last year.
That win was gained from a BHA mark of 57 but the handicapper has reduced his rating this year and a repeat of his reappearance run at Redcar suggests Mister Sky Blue has every chance here. Mister Sky Blue was no match for decisive winner One of Our Own on that occasion, but he ran well to finish two lengths behind in second. While he couldn’t quite repeat that form over the same course and distance in an amateur riders’ race later in May, Mister Sky Blue had excuses in seventh, not ideally positioned and then receiving a bump when trying to work his way into things.
Mister Sky Blue heads the Timeform weight-adjusted ratings by 3 lb and has the assistance of one of the more experienced riders in the field, Amy Collier, who has a good strike rate for Gemma Tutty as she did previously for her mother Karen.
Nod of Approval bred to relish stamina test
Three-year-olds haven’t had many opportunities over two miles or more yet, but you can see why Nod of Approval’s connections are wasting no time presenting him with a stamina test in the final race on Limerick’s card (20:20).
Trained by ‘Hot Trainer’ Jessica Harrington for J. P. McManus who teamed up to win the 2014 Champion Hurdle with Jezki, Nod of Approval is a half-brother to a couple of horses who have shown abundant stamina both on the Flat and over jumps in the McManus silks in the last twelve months. One of his half-brothers, Puturhandstogether, won the Irish Cesarewitch last season, while another, Showurappreciation, was second in the Irish Grand National in the spring.
Not surprisingly, therefore, Nod of Approval ran much his best race last time and shaped well when stepped up to a mile and a half for the first time, finishing well for second at Cork after not getting a clear run but going down by half a length to the gambled-on winner Darius Dark who has won again since. Nod of Approval earned the ‘Horse In Focus’ flag for that run in a race where the third has also won since. Looking set to improve again with another step up in distance, Nod of Approval is also fully 4 lb clear in the Timeform weight-adjusted ratings.
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