Good morning from Newmarket. We spring into action today with five runners at four different venues, quite a logistical challenge! So a big thank you to all our staff for rallying round to make a day such as this possible – hopefully we will see some reward for their efforts.
We have to wait until 3.20 to get underway, when Global Freedom will take his chance in the 0-55 handicap at Yarmouth. He had wind surgery earlier in the year, and the fact he doesn’t allow himself to breathe properly in his races is clearly what is holding him back – in terms of raw ability he should be better than his mark of 55. We reach for the tongue tie again this afternoon in the hope that it can aid his breathing, and how he reacts to the equipment will determine where he finishes. Gerald Mosse takes the mount.
Our next runner is the slightly mercurial Toro Dorado, who goes in the nine-furlong 0-60 handicap at Lingfield at 4.00. We have experimented unsuccessfully with his trip of late, but go back to a more conventional mile and a furlong this afternoon, which we know he should be suited by, and he also switches back to blinkers from a visor.
We know he is effective in blinkers, as he put in arguably a career best effort to finish second in them at Kempton back in November. That run also coincided with his last appearance in 0-60 company, so the drop in grade today is a major positive. There is no doubt that Toro is starting to become a little frustrating, but he has the ability to go very close today, so hopefully the trip, drop in class and re-application of blinkers can see him put his best foot forward. Daniel Muscutt takes the mount.
Moving northwards, our third runner of the day is Cue’s Folly in the closing apprentice handicap at Wetherby at 5.50. Cue’s has been dropping down the weights in recent months, to such an extent that getting her into suitable races is a challenge. What she really needs is a galloping track on turf, with as long a finishing straight as possible. She gets a few of the required ingredients today, and her latest effort at Yarmouth was a major step back in the right direction. The Yarmouth run was her first since being put in foal to Brazen Beau, so hopefully she is an improved performer as a result. It might be asking a bit much for her to actually win this afternoon, but she should be running on stoutly at the finish and hopefully won’t be disgraced. Ben Sanderson will be doing the steering and takes his first ride for the yard.
Finally we set our sights on the evening meeting at Carlisle, where we will be represented by Global Rock and Global Gift.
Global Rock, who runs in the nine-furlong maiden at 6.45, is a son of Siyouni out of the Listed-winning and Gr.3 placed mare Baino’s Rock. He has always shown a little bit at home, but his debut effort at Newbury was not long on promise. He raced prominently and tracked the leaders before falling in a heap and getting very tired a quarter of a mile from home, eventually trailing in a long way behind the principals. I would like to think he is significantly better than he showed on that occasion, and it is worth noting that the race was a warm heat won by the very smart Raise You. With that effort under his belt, I am hoping to see an improved display from Global Rock and some signs of promise for the future. Paul Mulrennan will be in the saddle.
We have to wait until 7.50 for our final runner of the day, when Global Gift takes his chance in the seven and a half furlong 0-75 three-year-old handicap. This son of Invincible Spirit only made his racecourse debut in March, but three relatively quick runs have seen him allocated a mark of 75.
He showed distinct promise on debut at Chelmsford, and was a good second on his third start at Wetherby. His only slight disappointment was at Newmarket during the Craven meeting, but he is excused that as he encountered unsuitably fast ground and it was quite a hot race. We have been tiptoeing around trying to avoid really quick ground, though we might be too far towards the other end of the spectrum today! Provided he handles the rain softened ground and relaxes, I would hope he has a fair chance of being competitive. He is not too badly handicapped hopefully and remains a nice prospect going forward. Tom Eaves rides.
So we have five runners heading to the races, with bits and bobs of each way chances, but no real standouts. I wish all my owners, horses and riders the very best of luck, and hopefully we can enjoy a good day's racing.
All the best,
Ed.