16:45 Ascot

Saturday 15 February 2020

All13:1513:5014:2515:0015:3516:1016:45

British EBF Mares' Standard Open NH Flat Race

Off time: 16:47 | Winning time: 4m 1.00s

Pure Bliss⁸⁵

Age: 5| Weight: 11-6| J: S Bowen| T: H Fry| D

15/8

Cost €100,000 from the Irish point-to-point scene; was simply in a different league to her opponents when scoring by 8L on rules/stable debut at Ffos Las (2m, soft) in mid November; is penalised accordingly.

Form: 1-1

Connie Wilde^h1

Age: 5| Weight: 11-2| J: Maxime Tissier⁽⁵⁾| T: L Wadham

11/1

Cost €40,000 as a 3yo; 11th foal from a 2m5f hurdle winner; closely related to three winners including the bumper/2m3f-3m hurdle/chase scorer Alfie Sherrin; half-sister to the JP McManus-owned Kimberlite Candy (2m3f-3m5f); hooded.

Form:

Eleanor Grove⁴⁶

Age: 5| Weight: 11-2| J: D A Jacob| T: W Greatrex

16/1

€25,000 yearling from a moderate dam; half-sister to the French AW winner Riska (1m7½f); beaten 16L (fourth) on debut at Uttoxeter (2m, heavy) on New Year's Eve; has some work to do with Forthegreatergood.

Form: 4

Run A Rig⁶⁰

Age: 5| Weight: 11-2| J: Patrick Cowley⁽⁵⁾| T: M Keighley

50/1

Half-sister to three winners, including the bumper/2m3f-3m hurdle scorer I K Brunel; weakened approaching the final furlong when sixth of 14 on debut (25-1) at Catterick (1m7½f, good to soft); this is a much more competitive race.

Form: 6

Sabrina¹⁰⁸

Age: 5| Weight: 11-2| J: H Cobden| T: P F Nicholls| BF

11/2

Yeats mare from a winning French hurdler (2m2f); €12,500 foal, €52,000 3yo; kept on in vain pursuit of the Jack Barber-trained Flying Sara when runner-up on debut (6-4f) at Taunton (2m½f, good); encounters different ground, but should progress.

Form: 2

Shoot To Fame^p1,t1⁹⁰

Age: 6| Weight: 11-2| J: T Scudamore| T: D Pipe

8/1

Fame And Glory mare; bought for £15,000 in December (Cheltenham) following the second of two point wins (fortunate on both occasions - awarded the race at Monksgrange and left clear at Turtulla); sports a tongue-tie and cheekpieces.

Form: F13-51

Belle De Manech⁴⁵

Age: 4| Weight: 10-11| J: Aidan Coleman| T: A J Honeyball

7/4

Vision D'Etat filly; beat the progressive Coquelicot by 1¾L when making a winning debut at Warwick (1m6f, soft) in November; acquitted herself reasonably well thereafter (sixth) in a Listed contest at Cheltenham on New Year's Day.

Form: 16

Boro Babe¹³⁶

Age: 4| Weight: 10-7| J: Chester Williams⁽⁵⁾| T: Nick Williams| BF

25/1

Sea The Stars filly from a French Flat winner (1m4f-1m6f); well backed favourite on debut at Huntingdon (1m5½f, good) in November, but dropped swiftly out of contention from halfway; must do better in order to figure positively.

Form: 0

Non-Runners

Forthegreatergood⁴⁶

Weight: 11-2| Age: 6

T: F O'Brien J: P J Brennan

Forecasts

Belle De Manech (7/4), Pure Bliss (15/8), Sabrina (11/2), Forthegreatergood (7/1), Shoot To Fame (8/1), Connie Wilde (11/1), Eleanor Grove (16/1), Boro Babe (25/1), Run A Rig (50/1)

An open mares' bumper to conclude. Both Pure Bliss (Harry Fry) and Belle De Manech (Anthony Honeyball) carry penalties for their respective wins at Ffos Las and Warwick, with the form of the latter given a major boost since by the exploits of Coquelicot. However, there are reasons to expect improvement from some of the other runners, namely Forthegreatergood (wind surgery) and SABRINA. The Paul Nicholls-trained runner kept on in vain pursuit of the winner on debut at Taunton in late October and with the benefit of time off since to strengthen, she could just relish these stamina-sapping underfoot conditions (by Yeats out of a winning French hurdler).