Kempton’s excellent surface has been riding on the slow side of late but we have seen some decent performers on the all-weather of late and it should be remembered that this year’s Irish Derby winner Jack Hobbs made his racecourse debut at Wolverhampton.
There is a decent 7f fillies’ maiden and Jeremy Noseda’s Wickedly Smart (6.25) is bred for the surface and, having cost $350,000 as a yearling, connections will be keen to get a win next to her name. She may have found a mile stretching her stamina at Newmarket last month and Jamie Spencer, who has ridden the filly on both starts to date, keeps the mount.
The 4 year-old Capelita must give 5lbs to the selection, who is a year younger, and the latter looks nothing out of the ordinary. A bigger danger might come from the debutante Earth Goddess who is certainly a likely sort on breeding and should be noted for a market move.
The mile juvenile maiden looks a cracker with a couple of well-bred newcomers Battle Success and Yangtze taking on the more experienced trio of Ride The Lightning, Street Duel and Mirror City (6.55) and the latter, the only filly in the race, gets the vote for Godolphin whose horses, almost invariably, are well-suited to an artificial surface.
The selection was a running on third here on debut over 7f and this step up in trip should see her in an even better light. Godolphin had a treble and Charlie Appleby/William Buick a double at the track on Monday with similar types and this well-bred type must go close.
Alnashama (7.25) is a son of Guineas’ winner Ghanaati who broke her maiden at Kempton and Charlie Hills will be looking for an improved show on his first start on polytrack. The selection is no star but looked to find the nine furlongs at Ffos Las beyond him last time and no surprise to see him switched to an artificial surface.
Emirates Skywards didn’t appear to get home at Salisbury last time over 1m6f last time when returning from a break and with the Charlie Appleby yard in such good form he must go close in the 11 furlong Handicap.
Soluble (8.25) returns to an all-weather surface for the first time since his racecourse debut when beating Appleby’s Antiquarium (now rated 99) a nose at Wolverhampton. He has turf form behind Dartmouth and Putting Green to suggest he should be very competitive off his current mark and I expect him to go very close.
Speed Company (2.00) has the worst of the draw in Musselburgh’s opener but he shaped really well at Beverley on debut and is entitled to come on for the experience. There are a couple of juveniles who led last time so the hope is they go a decent gallop and Phillip Makin can produce the selection in the final furlong.
Jack Garrity’s 3lb claim largely negates the 4lb rise give to Dark Crystal (4.00) for her Ayr success earlier in the month. Ralphy Boy and Circuitous should make sure she has something to aim at and she looks a progressive filly.
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