British 2yo Racing - 2007 Season Race Preview

British 2yo Racing - 2007 Season

Racing Preview - May 24th

Today's Races

[92] : Goodwood 4:20, 6f Maiden Fillies' (5)

[93] : Newcastle 2:20, 6f Maiden (6)

[94] : Salisbury 6:40, 5f Maiden (4)

[95] : Southwell AW 6:20, 5f Auction (5)

Checkout
Trainer :	Trainer Mark Prescott has made an early start this season and his first two runners were winners although only one was a better performance. He has had two lesser runs so far and a last place from a filly who was too slow for the 6f on Lingfield's polytrack. Mr Prescott has an interesting record with all weather debuts in a number of ways. Those at Lingfield have been poorer than at Southwell & Wolverhampton in general and none have placed in the last 5 years from 20 runners. However, they have included some better runners such as Cupid's Glory and Hypnotic. He has a better record at Wolverhampton and Southwell with 20% of runners placed and two debut wins in the same period. If you add in the provisos that the debuts are in his early batchs of runners (the stage we are at now) and less than 4/1 the bulk of the unplaced runs are removed. He runs Seconds Out at Southwell and the sire has a winner and a second from two juvenile runners at the course in recent seasons. Trainer Mick Channon has had a very good start to the year and up to last weekend had run more 2yos than in 2006 and had a 20% strike rate. He has now run four 2yos for Ahmed Al Maktoum (yellow colours with black epaulettes) with the record being Meeris (won 11/2), Yem Kinn (won 11/2), Nawaaff (2nd at 7/2) and Hatta Fort (5th at 7/2, second favourite behind a Chapple-Hyam runner and with a positive vibe but too wound up mentally to show his best). At Salisbury the 5f maiden lacks a runner with strong previous form and requires a step forward from those with potential (Stage Acclaim preferred to What Katie Did) to stop a debut winner). In that context Menadha should compete well for the same owner & trainer combination.
Paddock Review :	Hidden away in the Salisbury maiden is a 2yo called Hansinger for trainer Mr Case who has had half a handful of 2yo runs which have all been useless. He ought to be of no interest but at the sales he looked the better end of the big types that his sire Namid gets. If he were with a different trainer you might be thinking about whether he could compete to win FTO. Since we know almost nothing about Mr Case that can't be said but one to track.
Ratings :
Other :	First season sire High Chaparral made a late season debut over 7.5f at 2yo and was second string for Aiden O'Brien when winning the Group 1 Racing Post Trophy in October. He made a solid impression at the sales and had received good support from Coolmore and others with the mares he covered. He has his first runner today in the 5f maiden at Salisbury today with Ramona Chase who is out of a Group winning mare (by staying influence Rainbow Quest) who showed her best form over 8-10f at 3yo. Siring horses for 5f doesn't seem likely to be his main talent and not out of non 'sprint' mares. However, the only real reason to start a horse with that pedigree this early would be if he had some ability because you could keep the owners happy well into the 3yo season with a midfield run in an October mile maiden. He's pretty unlikely to win and his trainer only gets debut wins with higher class runners but interesting to se ehow he gets on. He seems more likely to be one to be ready for the first 7f races in July with a prep run already completed. In the same 5f maiden Hawk Wing has two representatives with Stubbs Art (out of a moderate ability dam who placed over 10f) and Maybe I Will (for trainer Richard Hannon who will start anything over 5f). His early runners over 5f have been less good physical types and not competed well and his record got better as soon as the 6f races started. We will learn more but a win for either would seem unlikely and more developments runs again. [Apropos of not very much - at Newcastle today Alan Berry runs a 3,500 guineas 2yo called Allahor. Mr Berry's record with 2yos has plummeted in the years since he took over from his father so we should't expect much. Of side interest is that he is owned by "His Royal Highness the Prince of Saxe-Weimar". So, there you are, a minor German princeling at a loose end with what to do with your spare time and some loose change and you end up in the north-west talking about winning juvenile sellers at Catterick. Mind boggling.]

May 24th Summary :

The 6f fillies' maiden at Goodwood usually attracts a mixed quality field but has usually included the odd better class filly. In 2005 High High Sneakers placed in the race and last year Majestic Roi (3yo Group winner) was the unplaced favourite FTO. Those with previous outings look a moderate group and it is a race ripe for a win from a debut runner. The two-and-a-half obvious ones are Lush (presumably Hannon's preferred), Limelight & Jemililah. Mr Hannon's record in the race starts with two wins from good fillies in 2000-1 and then is :-

2002 - Unplaced with the very limited Kindness
2003 - 2nd with average type Swahili and unplaced with Hot Lips Page
2004 - Won with Baltic Dip on debut
2005 - 3rd with the much touted Rubber at 3/1 (supposedly one of his best fillies but a maiden at 2yo and now in the US) and unplaced with It's Twilight Time (10/1)

So we should expect that pair here (Get Jealous is the other) include at least an average one and in the race shape ought to place and if they are a better type could win. Mark Prescott continues with his (real) first batch of 2yo runners after a couple of less competitive debuts following on from two wins with his first runenrs. In essence he only gets debut wins with his better 2yos but Limelight has a pedgiree that would get her in anywhere and could fit that billing. She is the first runner for new sire Dalakhani (who has a similar background to High Chaparral in terms of late season 2yo debut and best at 12f at 3yo) out of a Group winning mare that has produced Group 1 winner Aussie Rules. You have to asume she's not here to get an official rating in the 40s for her 3yo handicap career and should compete well.
Of the other Jemililah runs for Brian Meehan who's 2yos are showing signs of getting in real form but she is unlikely to be good enough to win this on debut unless the more obvious candidates are sub-standard. Given that the pair of Lush and Limelight are likely to be shorter prices a longer priced alternative would be Regal Bird for Mr Magnusson.
The Newcastle race feature a big field and a possibility that they will split into two groups so a race to be a little wary of. However the spread of abilities in these races oftens means that the better horses still get to the front by the finish wherever they end up. Of those with previous runs Pelican Prince is much preferred and should improve well from his debut effort given that his trainer is getting into form with his 2yos. Drawnfromthepast looked small and disinterested (to the point of being asleep) at Ascot but got involved before fading in a race that was a 2f sprint. His '5th in an Ascot maiden' tag overplays what he actually achieved which we saw with Fitzroy Crossing's failure yesterday. We have probably seen all of what Natural Rhythm can do which ought to be a little short of the required standard here.
Tuanku and Moonlight Gamble should both improve from debut but start from a low base and ones to assess for the future rather than expecting a success. Of the newcomers Celtic Strand (Tom Tate) looked a limited type at the sales and less likely to be the trainer's strong debut type. Conversely Madison Heights was a good type with good size and a lot of scope to develop although looking a 7f+ stayer. His trainer had his first winner yesterday with a STO runner and the debuts seem less fine tuned now than when he first started in 2004. The other strong debut is likely to be from the US bred filly Borasco who's sire was top of the 2yo lists in 2006 and from David Barron's yard that prepares them well enough.
Lingfield Wednesday
Frankie Dettori had presumably been told that winning was the only option with Baffled and worked much harder late on to grab the win than he often would with a 2yo. She had the right profile to be the better filly Mr Noseda produces at this time of the season and the last two have been beaten on debut and gone on to win at Listed and Group 2 level. She's a better physical specimen than Sander Camillo so we ought to be seeing her at Royal Ascot in the 6f fillies' race.
If you have read these previews that John Gosden's debuts can leave B2yoR baffled and again there was no hint yesterday that Bastakiya was a better debut (other than he tends to get them for Princess Haya and had made a special effort to run this one on the all weather). She's bigger than Baffled and if she can run this well off a normal debut preparation then she's another that will be running in Group races after she's won a maiden.

Back to Top of Page