20:05 Newmarket

Thursday 16 May 2019

All17:1017:4518:2018:5519:3020:0520:35

Heath Court Hotel Dining Club Handicap

Off time: 20:07 | Winning time: 2m 8.90s

(5)

Battle Of Wills¹⁴⁸

Age: 3| Weight: 9-7| J: A Kirby| T: J Tate| OR: 78

7/1

Progressed with racing between October and December 2018 (mainly on the AW), justifying favouritism when making a winning handicap debut at Newcastle (1m); 6lb higher for the return to turf; up in trip.

Form: 7541-

(2)

Copal¹⁸¹

Age: 3| Weight: 9-7| J: Harry Bentley| T: R M Beckett| OR: 78| BF

7/2

Dark Angel gelding who is bred to stay this trip (half-brother to four winners including Monarch's Glen (1m1f-1m3f)); best effort to date came when beaten ½L by Great Bear at Wolverhampton (1m+) in November; handicap debut.

Form: 642-

(1)

Sezim¹⁶⁸

Age: 3| Weight: 9-6| J: David Egan| T: R Varian| OR: 77| BF

11/4

Half-brother to the 2013 Musidora winner Liber Nauticus; runner up on the AW at Wolverhampton (1m1f+) and Kempton (1m); place possibilities, but could find that a couple are slightly better treated on handicap debut.

Form: 822-

(8)

Amjaady^b¹⁸⁰

Age: 3| Weight: 9-5| J: Jim Crowley| T: Owen Burrows| OR: 76

6/1

$400,000 yearling; brother to the 1m AW winner Althaaqib; placed on all three starts and generally progressing well; finished just over 1L behind subsequent 2000 Guineas runner up King Of Change at Wolverhampton (1m1f+) in November.

Form: 333-

(7)

Mary Somerville¹⁶

Age: 3| Weight: 9-5| J: R Havlin| T: J & T Gosden| OR: 76

5/1

Galileo filly; cost 800,000gns as a yearling; has shown plenty of ability over 7f (twice a runner up) and is bred to be suited by a greater emphasis on stamina; that said, she didn't set the world alight on seasonal reappearance at Nottingham (1m+).

Form: 202-7

(6)

Holy Kingdom¹¹⁰

Age: 3| Weight: 9-5| J: L Morris| T: Tom Clover| OR: 76

13/2

Australia colt (20,000gns yearling); raised his game when beaten a short-head by Gold Bere at Lingfield (1m) in January; will need to do so once more now switched to handicapping and racing on turf for the first time.

Form: 5-62

(3)

Arctic Fox¹⁶

Age: 3| Weight: 9-0| J: P Mathers| T: R A Fahey| OR: 71

16/1

Mastercraftsman filly; has run to a similar standard of form on all four starts (7f-1m+); finished just in front of today's rival Mary Somerville on handicap debut at Nottingham; 1lb lower.

Form: 436-6

(4)

Minnelli²⁵³

Age: 3| Weight: 8-12| J: Jason Hart| T: P J McBride| OR: 69

33/1

Off the mark at the third time of asking in a fairly moderate 7f maiden auction fillies' stakes at Wolverhampton in September; scope to do better over this trip on handicap debut (half-sister to a 1m2f dirt winner), but in all reality does need to.

Form: 641-

Forecasts

Sezim (11/4), Copal (7/2), Mary Somerville (5/1), Amjaady (6/1), Holy Kingdom (13/2), Battle Of Wills (7/1), Arctic Fox (16/1), Minnelli (33/1)

A race which lacks a real standout contender, with plenty of those declared having shown a broadly similar level of ability. This longer trip could see the 800,000gns yearling Mary Summerville in a better light, but at this stage she's appearing plenty costly enough. Furthermore, Roger Varian's Sezim could make the frame but a couple of others are taken against the field, namely the handicap debutantes Amjaady and COPAL. The selection progressed with racing during the autumn, often appearing as if a further step up in trip was required (half-brother to the 1m1f-1m3f winner Monarch's Glen).