General - Will the race's demotions continue to suppress the quality & future relevance? In 2009 it was a Class 5 Auction at Lingfield & was dropped to Class 6 by Arena in 2010. In 2011 it was shifted to Wolverhampton at Class 6 and produced a thin quality affair. When the race was at Lingfield the front of the race produced solid fillies who won at higher level. The winner at Wolverhampton in 2011 hinted at similar before disappearing. That winner was a zippy, natural filly who could show a bit more than the cheap purchase price promised and ran to a clear win. Is there a zippy natural in this field who can 'trump' those with previous form? Lothian Countess at 66/1 on Tuesday has already shown what that type can do in weak races like this in early season. Will the Market be clueless again? Will the helpless Pundit begin his pre-race prattle with the phrase "..2yos next, nothing much to go on, the Market should be informative here...." to no purpose other than to provide subtle sniggering elsewhere?
Ishi Honest - Topweight and most expensive at 6,500 guineas. Will she be another development winner for the trainer? Since a hugely untypical 2004 with two debut wins he has not had a winner before 3TO since and only one before July. Will he front-load again so that this is a probable low level winner with development? Would she need to be the hidden zippy natural to compete well FTO off a typical trainer preparation?
Windsor Rose - Will trainer Brisbourne improve further his impressive Front-Load record? He doesn't have many winners each year but the first 2yo to debut for him has produced 9 seasons winners out of 10 in the last ten seasons. This one is a half-sister to Pendle Lady who did the job for him last year. If he has some others up to winning will they be his next debuts? Not always the case but his first three runners in 2011 were his three season winners. Will she need to debut run to develop from and need 3TO+ to eventually win? He has never had a debut win and only 3 successes on STO. Will he be able to find an OR90+ developer this year? Despite the mostly cheap purchases he has produced, at least, 4 horses that got rated OR90+ at 2yo and multiple winners. Most developed well on late runs after 4TO.
Jamnean - Will the trainer produce this one to be a competent debut and able to compete up to close to it's full ability? He has only had one 2yo winner but that was a FTO win with a natural filly capable of OR85+ rating as a juvenile. Despite the dross he mostly trains his debut runners with mild ability tend to show it FTO.
Dreamy Ciara - Is she the first string for Evans with Gannon riding? How much of her getting behind at Kempton was due to inexperience and how much to not being a real 5f type? She seemed to show a reaching, galloper action FTO and not look a fast 5f type. Evans runs nearly everything, except Kumbeshwar, at 5f so is she really a 6f+ filly. A good test to see how she goes on this fast zip around a bend. She never stopped at Kempton but was plugging on at the end. Will she be getting behind here and then staying on down the centre of the track at the finish? Will she handle the left-hand bend better than the right-hand at Kempton? How 'handed' are horses in their preference and how much is genetic versus training?
Myzamour - Is this an entry for the 'Least Likely 5f early Pedigree' rosette to try to stop Mick Channon running every Sixties Icon he has in his stable? Sire never had a winner at less than 7f and not before July and ought of a stout mare. Still owned by the trainer and he needs high class horses to produce his rare debt wins. Another, slow and out-the-back debut?
Poetic Princess - How good was that Kempton race? The two fillies who went from it to a seller at Redcar did nothing to suggest it was much good. Poetic Princess was 1 length in front of one of that pair (Cherryred Girl) into the straight and only 2L ahead into the final furlong when CG faded. Poetic Princess another to never fade and plugging on at her pace having got outpaced mid-bend. Is she another 'stayer' who might grind out a win unless she improves notably from the debut? Will she handle the left hand better? Is she quite vulnerable to a zippy natural who really suits 5f?
Schottische - Is this the trainer's 4-6TO Nursery winner for the year? He does front-load a bit but nearly all his wins come in nurseries after some amount of, err, disguising the horse's real ability until the OR mark is settled.
Shop Til You Drop - Is this one the second string to Dreamy Ciara? Will she be one of those tiny rabbits, when Paddock reviewed, that the trainer doesn't force on anyone outside the family?
