Perla Blanca
Good morning from Newmarket, where we are experiencing a rather misty and overcast conditions. There was promise to be gleaned from the runs of Global Express and Global Acclamation at Salisbury yesterday, so let’s hope that is a sign of a return to form for the yard as a whole.
That theory might be severely tested today, as we are relying upon the reluctant Perla Blanca in the 5.05 at Lingfield! Perla is a sweet and talented daughter of Dalakhani that was brought into the yard as a partner for our young amateur rider Sophie Smith to gain experience on. Everything went to plan initially, as the pair finished second at Ayr and then won impressively at Doncaster in June over two miles.
There has been a significant bump in the road since those heady days however, as Perla Blanca has refused to load at both Carlisle and Newbury in the interim. Anyone glancing at her profile closely will note that she had also refused to load twice when trained by Marcus Tregoning earlier in her career. As a result she has undergone some serious remedial work, and successfully attended a barrier trial at Lingfield last month. Today she runs in a professional race, with Josie Gordon riding, whilst stalls guru Craig Witherford will be on hand to assist with the loading process. The stated aim is simply to get her into load in the stalls and race, and then hopefully she can resume her career in amateur contests under Sophie next time out.
All that has left little time to deliberate about her chances of winning and the state of the opposition! Her last win at Doncaster was visually impressive, though it is possible to question the strength of the form and this is undoubtedly a step up in class. Twister, Voluminous and Bamako Du Chatelet set a good form standard, and the unexposed In Demand may yet be the biggest danger of all. What is in Perla’s favour is that she has proven course form, has clearly thrived for a step up to staying distances, and she is fresh and well despite the fact we are so late in the season. She ought to have a small each way chance, but realistically we are just hoping for a smooth entry into and exit from the stalls; anything else is a bonus!
All the best.
Ed.