The going is so different this year to last that it's holding things up. Love to know how Sandown managed good to soft yesterday. Everyone in the vicinity is crying out for rain.
Disappointing seasonal debut by Scorthy Champ: found nothing when the heat was turned up. Lots of pre-race positives coming from the Irish but he (and his countrymen) didn't figure. Important day for Falakeyah as she makes her seasonal debut in the Pretty Polly. I really liked her debut but it appears plenty others did as well, as she's a short priced favourite today. Usually an influential race, last year the first two turned out to be Group 1 horses, so I'm hoping Falakeyah upholds her family's honour by winning this (she's from the Nashwan family). Plenty of other of my selected horses running this week. Hopefully there'll be some more wins on the board.
Well you can't applaud everything about the performance but Falakeyah led all the way and won easily. She ran a touch too freely but she was also very green. 33 days from now she'll almost certainly be lining up for the Oaks. Does Burrows run her again? My view is that he should and perhaps the Sandleford Priory at Newbury might be the best option. To date R9 W3 P4
Secret of Love makes her seasonal debut in the Cheshire Oaks tomorrow. By Study of Man out of a Smart Strike mare, she is from the same family as the distinctly useful Sandrine (and Petoski). She ran a fine race at Newmarket in the Autumn, behind the highly thought of Smoken. She faces a tough field which includes an AOB filly (Minnie Hauk) and the abovementioned Queen of Thieves. Intriguing race: don't be surprised if the winner is promoted to near Oaks favouritism.
Looked to me as though she would have preferred a faster gallop. Can't see the winner winning the Oaks but I notice she has gone 6/1 clear fav for the Irish Oaks
Those times were fairly interesting, although it does rather depend on how precise those half furlongs are Minnie Hauk took 15.54 secs to travel a furlong further than the maiden winner and the G3 winner Lambourne only took 10.97 secs to travel a furlong further than Minnie Hauk
