Well I am back a little earlier than anticipated but there is still quite a lot to catch up on. A week can be a long time in racing.
Our list to follow has accounted for 9 winners since my last bulletin. The best of these was the ultra consistent Dylan Thomas who landed the Irish Champion Stakes for the second year running, beating his Ballydoyle stable companion Duke of Marmalade.
The other big race of the week was of course the ST Leger, won by John Gosden’s Lucano, but Gosden had a good week all round and his Escape Route was another winner for our list taking the last race on yesterday’s Goodwood card. This was a decent training performance as Escape Route had looked a difficult sort, refusing to go into the stalls on his previous run. Another Gosden winner was Thinking Positive who broke her duck in a Bath maiden.
Hearthstead Maison has proved a typically tough competitor from the Mark Johnston yard and he stepped up on previous efforts to win a Group 3 race at The Curragh last weekend. He has raced over a variety ofn trips but his 3 wins this year have all come over 10 furlongs.
Bo McGinty has been something of a standing dish on my list to follow in recent years. In truth he doesn’t have a great strike rate but when he does get it right he can run well enougyh in sprint handicaps. He had been running well this season without winning but finally came good at Haydock. This was his first win since last June. He had slipped to a nice mark, had his favourite good to firm going and the assistance of a talented claimer in Jamie Moriaty.
The Godolphin 4 year old Seabow was another winner for our list. He won a Sandown handicap ridden by Kerrin McEvoy on only his 6th career start.
Seabow was winning for the first time this season as was the Sir Mark Prescott 3 year old Tonnante who won a 12 furlong handicap at Folkestone, a race that the same trainer won last season with the prolific filly Alambic.
This afternoon Stotsfold came with a withering run down the outside to land his first ever Group 3 for Walter Swinburn under a nice ride from Adam Kirby while Tax Free also tasted Group success at Longchamp to win for the fourth time this season.
Of the rest I was pleased to see Eisteddfod make all to win a listed race at Sandown for the Elite Racing Club. This was his 11th career win.
There are 3 runners from our list to follow tomorrow, all at Musselburgh.
In the 2.20 Monashee Brave tries 7 furlongs for the first time. He won over 5 furlongs at Beverley last season but apart from a good run when 2nd back in April he has shown little. He has come down the weights a fair bit as a result though.
I have already mentioned Tonnante in my look back and she reappears under a penalty in the 3.20. She is also stepped up in trip at 14 furlongs, a typical tactic used by her trainer and she must be respected.
Finally, in the 4.50 Blazing Heights looks to break his duck for the season. A course and distance winner, he is well drawn and has been given a chance by the handicapper. He has each way prospects at around 5/1.
ahorse 