With seven meetings on show across the UK and Ireland, there is plenty of action to get stuck into on this fabulous Friday. Brighton’s annual three-day meeting comes to a close with a six-race card this afternoon and Sam King has a strong fancy at Haydock this evening.
We head to the south coast for our first selection, which comes in the Harry Bloom Memorial "Brighton Bullet" Handicap at 4.00.
Captain Cuddles went straight into my tracker following his reappearance effort at Ascot and he looks like a rock-solid each-way bet with plenty of firms paying extra places.
Richard Hannon has already tasted success at Brighton this week and I'm not surprised there has been some early money about for his sole runner on today's card.
He looked a promising prospect when making all to land a Salisbury novice event by a head on his final start as a juvenile. However, connections must have been wondering where that promising two-year-old had gone as he'd been bitterly disappointing in handicap company until that recent effort at Ascot.
The Richard Hannon-trained three-year-old chased a frantic pace when third at Ascot that day and did remarkably well to finish third in the end. To put it into context, Global Esteem, who made the running ended up being beaten over sixteen lengths whilst Captain Cuddle, who sat second throughout stuck on well to be beaten two and a quarter lengths at the line.
That looked like a stronger Class 4 contest than this does today and the drop back to six furlongs should be right up his street. I'm expecting the in-form apprentice (5-13, 38% for the last 14 days) Alex Voikhansky, who now takes off a valuable 5lb, to ride him prominently and it can be tough to peg them back from the front at Brighton if getting the fractions right.
A mark of 80 is definitely workable given his juvenile form and I'm hoping Richard Hannon's charge can continue the excellent recent record three-year-olds have in this contest by doubling his career tally.
Selection: Captain Cuddles – General 6/1
I suspect the Cheshire Life And Lancashire Life Fillies' Handicap taking place at Haydock (6.50) this evening will be a race well worth following going forward and I can't help but think Couplet looks incredibly well-treated off her opening mark.
Harry Eustace's filly looked like a nice prospect when beating the now 84-rated Pure Angel on debut at Haydock last September. It wasn't all that surprising to see her put away for the winter subsequently (something I tend to think means trainers hold them in some regard) and she probably bettered her debut winning form when runner-up at Doncaster on reappearance.
The daughter of Zoustar seemingly just bumped into an exciting Juddmonte-owned debutante that day and lost nothing in defeat under her penalty.
Returning to the scene of her debut success (course and distance) looks a big positive and the booking of James Doyle also catches the eye. Although clearly fit enough to do herself justice at Doncaster on her return, you'd expect she'd have come on plenty for that effort and I'm fully expecting her to be rated much higher than 79 by the time to season is out.
Selection: Couplet – General 13/8
Alice Haynes is having something of a quiet spell of late, but I couldn't help but notice she's sent one horse to Thirsk this afternoon.
The Peter Bell Memorial Fillies' Nursery at 3.10 features a whole host of horses making their handicap debuts. Belle Storm, Koji, and Kaaress all need respect but it's easy to argue there should be plenty more to come from Lexington Belle.
Alice Haynes' record at Thirsk speaks for itself. The Newmarket-based handler has had five winners from her last nine runners at the Yorkshire venue and it's hardly a short dash up the road to send just one horse.
Lexington Belle has been far from disgraced in three runs to date and will find this much easier in the hot fillies' maiden she contested at Newmarket (July) on her final qualifying run. The winner that day went on to Group 3 success and although she was beaten approximately ten lengths, she did show up well for a long way.
The Middleham Park-owned filly produced a solid effort to finish third at Musselburgh on her sole outing over today's seven-furlong trip thus far and should appreciate returning to this stiffer stamina test. It's interesting connections apply first-time cheekpieces for her nursery bow and with an opening mark of 58 hardly daunting, she looks well worth chancing at a general 7/1.
Selection: Lexington Belle – General 7/1
