Victory Gold can medal at Leicester
This is the time of year the juvenile scene ramps up a notch with Royal Ascot on the horizon and Victory Gold can book his ticket in the British EBF Maiden Stakes at Leicester on Tuesday.
It never ceases to amaze how much two-year-olds can improve from one run to the next and those with prior experience might not necessarily be the best in the race but they know more about the job than one first time out.
That could be the case here, with Victory Gold sure to benefit from a very promising first run at Ascot when second to a nice type in Night In Vegas, who has since franked the form in a valuable race at Goodwood.
It has become very rare in recent years for Saeed bin Suroor to have a speedy juvenile to consider for Ascot, and even at his pomp it was never really his thing, but the fact this son of Space Blues is on the radar for the Coventry Stakes speaks volumes.
Ralph Beckett excels with fillies, he is not so bad with colts and geldings either as a matter of fact, but owners do tend to send him a large proportion of fillies it seems.
Another off the treadmill is Crownright, who looks sure to make her mark having bumped into Charlie Appleby’s Abashiri on debut. She then chased home the well-regarded So Regal in a typically competitive event at Ascot earlier this month.
A Juddmonte-owned daughter of Frankel, Colin Keane makes the trip to the East Midlands venue to ride in the British EBF Fillies’ Novice Stakes.
Ed Walker’s Frankel filly Frantic can get off the mark in the J Vineyards Fillies’ Handicap.
She has shown a decent level of form in three outings in maidens and novice company and has been allotted a handicap mark of 70.
Given she ran Bintaryana to just over a length at level weights, and she was second off 74 on her first go in a handicap, her 70 rating might be a little generous.
The in-form horse heading to Lingfield is Jonathan Portman’s Russian Rumour who can notch a third-straight victory having made a winning return at Nottingham recently.
She is up just 2lb for that success and with course form logged in her record book, could prove tough to stop in the Weatherbys Global Stallions App Handicap.
Meanwhile the quality on the card could be provided by John and Thady Gosden’s Sunshine Star in the Weatherbys Racing Bank Maiden Fillies’ Stakes.
The daughter of Sea The Stars is a half-sister to Clarehaven’s Oaks-winning Soul Sister and has hinted at being useful herself in two outings so far.
Second behind a useful filly who has since won again on debut, she was not disgraced in a hot Sandown event won by Musidora runner-up Felicitas. With the penny dropping and the benefit of two runs under her belt, now could be the time to catch Sunshine Star. – Press Association
TAB is betting on 5 UK meetings on Tuesday. Here are the tips.
LEICESTER: Race 1: 15.10 VICTORY GOLD (NAP), Race 2: 15.40 Abrahamsen, Race 3: 16.10 Crownright, Race 4: 16.40 Escape Magic, Race 5: 17.10 Cartwheel, Race 6: 17.40 Frantic, Race 7: 18.12 Alice De Clare.
REDCAR: Race 1: 15.20 Freedom Flame, Race 2: 15.50 Hoseki, Race 3: 16.20 Gaelic Approach, Race 4: 16.50 Classic Encounter, Race 5: 17.20 Long Shot, Race 6: 17.50 Kyber Crystal, Race 7: 18.23 Dream Deal.
BATH: Race 1: 15.30 Danehill Star, Race 2: 16.00 Cydney Sweenie, Race 3: 16.30 Strike, Race 4: 17.00 Candy Warhol, Race 5: 17.30 Bobby Dassler, Race 6: 18.02 Mohmentous.
PLUMPTON: Race 1: 18.37 Nelson Gate, Race 2: 19.09 Diplomatic Ash, Race 3: 19.39 Captain Cool, Race 4: 20.09 Begin The Luck, Race 5: 20.39 Earth King, Race 6: 21.09 Alibey, Race 7: 21.39 Getmyfriend.
LINGFIELD: Race 1: 18.54 Russian Rumour, Race 2: 19.24 Sunshine Star, Race 3: 19.54 In Denial, Race 4: 20.24 Storming Point, Race 5: 20.54 Hilltop, Race 6: 21.24 Luminare.
ALL TO COME: Victory Gold and Frantic (Leicester, Races 1 and 6).