General - Will the change of date make any difference to the low quality and limited future significance of the pair of races? With Redcar adapting it's program it now has two Monday meetings in early April then nothing until mid-May. In recent years the meetings have been in mid & late April. But, a good example of how things remain the same as they change with the exact two same race types as usual.
In the last three years the seller has produced just one subsequent season winner. The Auction race has done better in producing later winners BUT, nearly all of them have been at seller level (7 out of 10) with 2 other wins in similarly low level auction events and a single subsequent success at maiden level. Three of this year's auction field (Babylon Candle, All Fur Coat & Secret Destination) were also entered for the seller. Why are there so many trainer owned runners? Lack of owners around or duff horses they wouldn't necessarily want to lumber on mates?
Babylon Candle - Can the trainer improve her dreadful record with 2yos? To date she has managed a single win from a total of 42 individual juveniles that have run for her over the years. 4 of those placed on debut and she did not know how to convert any of those to be winners. Her one winner was 3TO in 2011 and that one was last FTO. Joint topweight so ought to be amongst the better ones in the field but a negative trainer and already been seller entered.
Midnight Dream - Another joint topweight but an entirely different story with this one representing one of the best trainers for producing winners from limited runners. The Stubbs' record is 18 individual winners from 27 cheap puchases in the last 4 seasons. Teriffic. The stable also produced the only maiden level winner to run in the equivalent race in recent years and ran Latte in 2011 who seemed disappointing in only ending up a seller level winner. The debuts are usually competent and make the first 4 but need a bit of help from somewhere to win FTO. Will this one prove another solid debut and season winner? Is it actually one of their better ones they try to groom to sell on to Hong Kong? Will the Market tell us? Did the Stubbs' really sit through the whole Arqana sale at Deauville to finally buy this one which was the last lot offered?
All Fur Coat - Another seller entry and is it in this event because the trainer has an even worse on for the seller? Having taken over horses in mid-season in 2011, her first year, did she only have the duff ones left to start off which explained the poor FTO runs? Was the 3rd place on Saturday with her first 2012 runner an indicator that she can get good debuts or a fluke in a soft race?
Caught Napping - Is this the equivalent of the Musselburgh auction race runner Bill Turner used to send up each year? Having gone so far he usually had them competitive for debut? However, the 2010-11 FTOs in early season have looked a bit less primed and his Brocklesby runner only finished 4th on Saturday. Was that because it went too hard in front of indicating they need a run to reach top level readiness?
Out Of The Blocks - How competitive to win are the Dascombe debuts? It has varied over the years and his 2nd placed runner on Saturday lost her chance with a slow start. Is this one the small, but strong, straightforward and usable one at his level that his picture suggests?
Tim Easterby - Why is Zero Rated wearing the trainer's second colours but with the stable's first jockey? Can David Allen not do 8-4? Will his wins follow the normal pattern in 2012? He gets FTO wins in April but ONLY with high class runners and typically at Ripon. His only other wins before mid-May are typically odd development winners on STO or 3TO after reasonable debuts. This race has been a good place to look for those development winners. He has won it twice in recent years when it was later in the month and debuted two solid S/3TO winners in it as well including what might have been the best horse in the 2011 edition. Which one of the pair here is the OR70+ solid development winner? Surely he isn't going to send a really good one here rather than Ripon?
Kryena's Rose - Is this one the equivalent of Mick's early season debut winner for Jaber Abdullah on the AW? Is she this year's Majestic Rose but away from the AW for a change? Does jockey Catlin being here mean anything given he tends to try to ride the Group class ones for the owner? Not that this one would be group class but usable, at least.
Secret Destination - Is this a low level usable one for the trainer? Will it be one of his occasional strong debuts? Why has he not sold it on and why was it seller entered?
Seller & STO Pair - Were both of the fillies on STO given deliberately non-involving set-up rides on debut at Kempton on Saturday to prepare for this? Why was Vanessa allowed to throw away a solid start at Kempton to end up adrift on the bend with the jockey inactive? How will Stan Moore's 'STO Seller Win' plan go this year? Anonymous debuts in maidens and then seller runs 2 days later (it used to be Wolverhampton) used to be a highlight of his early season MO? Will the STO run improve notably as they used to? Is Vanessa just along to keep Kryena's Rose company or is she going to 'snap together' STO as well? Channon's record with STOs off short breaks is better than many trainers. Will Bill Turner continue with his solid record with debuts in seller events which stands at 1 win, 2 places and a 6th (as second string to a placer) in the last three years?
