Sky Sports Racing ambassador Hollie Doyle heads to Wolverhampton for six rides on Saturday and looks ahead to Trueshan’s reappearance in the Sagaro Stakes on Trials Day at Ascot next Wednesday.
Blue Point filly returns at Wolverhampton
ENCHANTING, one of the horses I wrote about in my ’10 to follow’ blog earlier this month, makes her eagerly awaited reappearance in the Get The Inside Track With raceday-ready.com Novice Stakes (7.30) over five furlongs at Wolverhampton on Saturday – live on Sky Sports Racing.
Owned by my boss Imad Alsagar, this lovely daughter of Blue Point proved her potential by winning a five-furlong fillies’ novice at Beverley last September and has done well over the winter.
I called in at Kingsclere last week to ride Andrew Balding’s three-year-old, who felt much bigger and stronger ahead of such an important campaign.
This will be a good test of her progress, with Charlie Fellowes’ first-time-out winner Sweet Carolina and James Horton’s Grandlad, who has run well on both his starts, up against her. The outside draw in stall 7 isn’t ideal, but I’m banking on her having the speed and quality to overcome that.
Piper’s can call the tune
PIPER’S FORT has shown blistering speed in his last two starts, so the drop back to the minimum trip in the Derek Thomas Richard Butler 80th Birthday Handicap (7.00) should be ideal for him.
Archie Watson’s three-year-old really attacked his last two races over 6f at Lingfield and Chelmsford, only to be run out of both in the closing stages. He’s not the most straightforward but is ideally drawn in stall 1, in what looks a winnable race.
Harris may continue Haynes form
Alice Haynes has been among the winners this week and RICH HARRY can keep her good run going in the Free Digital Racecard At raceday-ready.com Handicap (8.00) at Wolverhampton.
He’s been gelded since his last run in January – a staying-on third in a mile-and-three-furlong handicap on the All-Weather at Southwell. He’s dropping back in distance here but has produced some of his best form at around a mile.
Earlier on the card, my old guv’nor Richard Hannon runs three in the Free Digital Racecard At raceday-ready.com Novice Stakes (6.30), including my mount SPECIALISATION.
This Dubawi colt makes his second career start after finishing down the field in a seven-furlong Newmarket novice back in October. On breeding, the step up in distance should be an advantage, but he will need to take a big step forward in a race that pitches him against three last-time-out winners.
Winning chances with Kirby pair
I always enjoy riding for Northern trainer Philip Kirby, and I’m hoping the step up to the extended two miles for the Download The Raceday Ready App Handicap (8.30) will see his mare CASA LUNA return to the winners’ enclosure.
She belatedly got off the mark at the 25th attempt over a mile and six furlongs at Dunstall Park earlier this month for David Probert, but she didn’t seem to enjoy Southwell as much last time.
Stable companion PERIPETEIA is a course-and-distance winner who has what it takes to make an impact in the closing Tips For Every Race At raceday-ready.com Handicap (9.00).
She made a pleasing return over a similar trip at Newcastle a couple of weeks ago, staying on to be third behind another Kirby runner in Gastronomy.
I tracked her into the straight that day on the unplaced Heatherdown Hero and thought she finished her race off really well. I won on her at Chelmsford a few years ago, so I’m looking forward to renewing our partnership.
Trueshan set for Ascot return
Alan King’s star stayer TRUESHAN is set to make his seasonal return in the Longines Sagaro Stakes (2.15) on Trials Day at Ascot next Wednesday – live on Sky Sports Racing.
He could well be taking on old adversary Coltrane in the two-mile Group 3, as he sets out on a campaign that will again feature all the big Cup races.
This is just a starting point, but I’m hoping he comes back in the sort of form that saw him win the Doncaster Cup and Group One Prix du Cadran last season after being revitalised by wind surgery.
Folgaria win a tribute to Stefano
Winning the Fred Darling on Marco Botti’s filly Folgaria last Saturday was both exciting and emotional.
Her victory in the Group 3 Classic trial was a fitting tribute to our much-missed friend and weighing-room colleague Stefano Cherchi, on a weekend when her trainer Marco Botti was attending his funeral in Sardinia.
Folgaria had won all of her five races in Italy and proved herself worthy of a crack at the French 1000 Guineas with a convincing success. Stepping up to a mile shouldn’t be an issue, as she won a Group 2 at the San Siro over that trip in October, and I’ll do all I can to be available to ride her at ParisLongchamp.
Hollie Doyle was speaking to Sky Sports Racing’s Simon Mapletoft.