Fillipas one to follow at Salisbury

By Ashley Iveson, Press Association

Fillipas can provide her connections with back-to-back victories in the Ire-Incentive, It Pays To Buy Irish Dick Poole Fillies’ Stakes at Salisbury on Thursday.

Trainer Rod Millman and owners Middleham Park Racing teamed up to claim the Group Three prize with Anthelia 12 months ago and they look to have a good chance of repeating the feat with a filly who has already won over the course and distance.

Fillipas ran a race full of promise when runner-up on her Bath debut behind Havana Sprite, who has since dead-heated in a Listed race and won a valuable nursery outright to earn herself a rating in the early 90s.

Millman’s juvenile was a bit disappointing at Newbury next time, but bounced back when opening her account and getting the better of an odds-on favourite and previous winner in Spirit Of Lyra at this venue two weeks ago.

Fillipas has a bit to find on ratings with several of her rivals, but she remains open to improvement and should give a good account of herself if handling the softer ground in the hands of Colin Keane.

Keane also looks a positive jockey booking for Hereward in division two of the Al Basti Equiworld, Dubai Restricted Novice Stakes.

Trained by Brian Meehan, who has saddled three two-year-old winners in the past week, this son of Saxon Warrior was sent to France to make his racecourse introduction in a valuable sales race at Deauville.

He was beaten just a length and a half into third place and with the stable clearly in good form, he can go a couple of places better.

Burning Up is very difficult to oppose in the EBF Novice Stakes at Haydock.

Karl Burke’s Too Darn Hot colt could hardly have been more impressive on his debut over course and distance four weeks ago, overcoming trouble in running to ultimately win comfortably by just under three lengths.

He had the option of stepping up to in class for Saturday’s Ascendant Stakes on Merseyside and would have been fully entitled to take his chance in that Listed event, but Burke has opted to take a smaller step by running in another novice with a penalty and he should prove up the task.

It is not difficult to make a decent case for Diplomata winning the Bailey Partnership Celebrating 50 Years Nursery Handicap for William Haggas and Tom Marquand.

The grey has shown some ability in each of her three novice starts to date, most recently finishing third at Epsom.

She now enters the handicap sphere off what looks a workable mark of 68 and should go well if handling the softer ground.

Home Secretary is just the type of horse with which Sir Mark Prescott excels and he looks a solid betting proposition in the Christmas Parties At Newcastle Racecourse Handicap at Gosforth Park.

The three-year-old was never really involved in any of his four juvenile races over seven furlongs and a mile, but that did allow him to start off life in handicaps over longer distances off a mark of 61.

He did not fire on his first couple of outings of the season, but stepped up to two miles and won easily in a first time visor at Lingfield in early July and a 9lb rise might not be enough to stop him following up.

Top tips for today’s UK meetings

TAB is betting on 5 UK meetings today. Here are the tips.

HAYDOCK: Race 1: 14.30 I’d Go Maniac, Race 2: 15.05 Burning Up, Race 3: 15.40 Flying Pirate, Race 4: 16.17 Diplomata, Race 5: 16.52 Sharadd, Race 6: 17.25 Hoseki, Race 7: 18.00 Pol Roger.

NEWCASTLE: Race 1: 14.42 Bruce Banner, Race 2: 15.17 Amidst The Chaos, Race 3: 15.52 Interstate, Race 4: 16.24 Home Secretary, Race 5: 16.59 Mussab, Race 6: 17.35 Victory Sound, Race 7: 18.10 Dream Forever, Race 8: 18.40 Rain Cap, Race 9: 19.15 Too Much.

SALISBURY: Race 1: 14.53 Prince Rasam, Race 2: 15.28 General Wolfe, Race 3: 16.03 Hereward, Race 4: 16.39 Quintana, Race 5: 17.14 FILLIPAS (NAP), Race 6: 17.49 Zen Diva, Race 7: 18.24 Boyfriend, Race 8: 18.55 Aleatrix.

LINGFIELD: Race 1: 16.10 Mystic Music, Race 2: 16.45 Twilight Moon, Race 3: 17.20 Diomed Duke, Race 4: 17.55 Mouj Albuhoor, Race 5: 18.30 Fabled Spirit, Race 6: 19.00 Dark Brunette, Race 7: 19.30 Bucklow Hill, Race 8: 20.00 Boston Run.

SOUTHWELL: Race 1: 17.30 Startling, Race 2: 18.05 Black Orchid, Race 3: 18.35 Roker Roar, Race 4: 19.10 Castlemont, Race 5: 19.40 Chantelle, Race 6: 20.10 Hot And Cold, Race 7: 20.40 Indefensible, Race 8: 21.10 Kirkdale.
ALL TO COME: Burning Up (Haydock, Race 2) and Fillipas (Salisbury, Race 5).

For fields, race betting and more information go to www.tab.co.za