Scrutinise: seeks a hat-trick at Salisbury this afternoon.
Not too cold but overcast.
I hope you all enjoyed the cracking weekend of sport. Air Force Blue was insatiable in the Dewhurst and while no Classic is ever a formality, it is difficult to think we have seen a horse capable of lowering his colours in the 2,000 Guineas.
We had a winner at Chelmsford on Saturday evening with Clarentine supplementing her Lingfield success by landing the mile handicap. We have found her optimum conditions now – a mile on the all-weather – and she should continue to enjoy a fruitful winter.
Book 2 began in earnest this morning and sales fever will swamp the town all week. There is little time to think about anything else.
We saddle two at Salisbury this afternoon. Biff Johnson kicks things off in the mile and a quarter handicap and we are on somewhat of a retrieval mission with him following a couple of disappointing displays. Trip and ground should be fine, so while this is a potentially tricky little race, it is a three-year-old only 0-70 and he doesn’t look out of place.
We toyed with running Scrutinise in the mile and a half handicap at Goodwood yesterday, but we settled on the extra quarter mile this afternoon, and the question of him staying was given timely boost when Grumeti - his half-brother - landed the Cesarewitch on Saturday.
He has proved most progressive returned to the turf this autumn and a 4lb rise for his last victory seems fair given the race wasn’t run to suit and Paul Hanagan only needed to push him out under hands and heels. He gets weight from the older horses and the cut in the ground is what he wants – hopefully the hat-trick is on the cards.
One declaration for Wednesday with Dora’s Field set to make her second stand in the seven furlong fillies’ maiden at Kempton.
Back tomorrow.
Ed.