John Ingles of Timeform provides an overview of the key things to note for Friday’s racing.
Three points of interest
Ballydoyle fillies worth following
The standard set by Bedtime Story and Fairy Godmother, Aidan O’Brien’s juvenile fillies who both won impressively at Royal Ascot last week, is very high but history suggests it will pay to keep a close eye on the futures of two Ballydoyle newcomers in the two-year-old fillies’ maiden (17:30) at the Curragh.
This was the same race won last year by the stable’s Ylang Ylang when she had Opera Singer, also making her debut for Ballydoyle, down the field. They went on to win the Fillies’ Mile and Prix Marcel Boussac respectively in the autumn, following in the footsteps of Qualify, Alice Springs, Rhododendron, Happily, Hermosa, Love, Snowfall and Tuesday, all future Group 1 winners for Ballydoyle who contested the same maiden. Of those, Alice Springs (first time out) and Happily won the race, while Rhododendron, Love and Tuesday were all runners-up.
O’Brien’s representatives this year are Ryan Moore’s mount Lake Victoria and Exactly who is ridden by Wayne Lordan, both daughters of Frankel, the sire of last year’s winner Ylang Ylang. Lake Victoria is out of the Commonwealth Cup and Sprint Cup winner Quiet Reflection while Exactly’s dam Heartache was a speedy filly too, winning the Queen Mary and Flying Childers.
Either of those would do well to win first time up, though, as both of Aidan O’Brien’s sons are represented by fillies who have run to a good level on their debuts, with Donnacha’s Dahlia Noir shaping well when second at Leopardstown and Joseph’s And So To Bed being very green when fourth at the Curragh.
England supporters should have something to cheer at Cartmel
West Yorkshire trainer Sam England sent a total of six runners to Cartmel this year for their fixtures at the end of May and returned with four winners, all of them ridden by husband Jonathan. That added to the couple’s fine record at the Cumbrian track where their past winners include Liffeydale Dreamer who established herself as a course specialist, winning five times there.
The Englands have three runners at Cartmel on Friday, and while Ruler of The River will need to improve a good deal on recent efforts, including one at this track, to have a say in her race, her two stablemates have live chances. Emily Wade looks interesting in the other division of the mares’ handicap hurdle (14:30) where she tops the ratings by 1 lb. She won in good style at Southwell last time when wearing a tongue tie for the first time and still looks well treated on her old form having dropped in the weights.
The stable has prospects of a quick double with Elleon in the staying handicap chase (15:05). Despite not being the most fluent of jumpers, he has won three of his last five starts and it was only a late mistake which cost him the chance to complete a hat-trick at Hexham last time. Cartmel poses an easier jumping test, however, and he’s fancied to notch another win.
Former winners clash in Gosforth Park Cup
Newcastle’s Gosforth Park Cup (17:25) is always a good sprint handicap and this year’s renewal is no exception. Copper Knight won this in 2018 and was runner-up in 2019, and while he’s the senior runner in the line-up at the age of ten, Tim Easterby’s veteran retains plenty of enthusiasm as he showed when successful at Chester last time out, recording the fifteenth win of his career. That was a drop in grade for Copper Knight who’s in a hotter race again now, but he’s clearly in good heart.
However, the one they all have to beat could well be last year’s winner Vintage Clarets, whose trainer Richard Fahey has sent out more winners than anyone at Newcastle in the last five seasons. Vintage Clarets enjoyed a very successful campaign in 2023, winning four times in all, including the same race at Chester which Copper Knight won a few weeks ago.
Vintage Clarets hadn’t previously run on the all-weather before last year’s Gosforth Park Cup and that remains his only try on the surface. It’s easy to forgive his latest run at Thirsk where he wasn’t ideally drawn and didn’t get the best of runs either, but a repeat of his very close third behind Democracy Dilemma at Chester’s May meeting, in a finish also involving Copper Knight, would give Vintage Clarets every chance of a repeat success.
Tip of the Day
Humble Spark – 16:23 Newcastle
Flags: Hot Trainer, Top Rated
The form of Humble Spark’s latest race is working out very well and he can provide his in-form trainer Jim Goldie with a winner in the opening amateur jockeys’ handicap (16:23) on Newcastle’s evening card. A close second twice here earlier in the year, Humble Spark got off the mark in a course-and-distance handicap in April when the first two pulled clear of the rest. Stepped up to a mile and a half at Hamilton last time, Humble Spark went close to following up, leading briefly inside the final furlong but edged out close home by neck winner Twoforthegutter. That’s looking strong form as the winner has gone in again and the third and fifth have also won since. Back down in trip at the scene of his breakthrough win, there’s lots to like about Humble Spark’s chances therefore.
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