It’s just like watching Brazil
The opening race of Catterick’s Tuesday fixture is an interesting maiden for two-year-olds over seven furlongs, for which 11 runners are due to line up at 2.00pm. There is a hot favourite in the shape of Campos, and this should be no more than a penalty kick for the Tommy Stack trained colt, that has by far the best form in the book. He looked in need of the outing when making his debut in a good maiden at Limerick. Having struggled to go the pace in the early stages, he ran on quite nicely to finish sixth behind Snow Mountain.
With that experience behind him, he improved last time in an above average contest at Leopardstown, coming home in fourth behind Snow Watch, who is a well-regarded type of Kevin Prendergast’s. With plenty of scope for improvement, he will find the opposition here much easier to handle, and should score without too much fuss. The only worry would be the form of the stable. At present, they are hardly firing on all cylinders and their last 13 runners have performed well below standard.
That said it is difficult to find any serious challengers. Janet’s Pearl appears to be the best of the remainder who have raced and did run a nice race at Beverley last time. Having led at the furlong marker, she only gave best in the final 75 yards, eventually finishing runner-up to Mutual Force.
That was a marked improvement on her first run, where she finished a well-beaten seventh to Goldenveil at Ayr. However, the fact that she only cost 3000 guineas and has started at odds of 33/1 on both outings are probably signs of her limited ability, and although open to further improvement, it would be disappointing if she were capable of winning here.
The dark horse of the race is the unraced White Fusion, who cost 68,000 guineas and hails from the in form Howard Johnson yard. They currently have a 25% strike rate with their runners in the past fortnight, which has included three juvenile successes. However, the stable’s two-year-olds often need the run and is therefore likely to be all the better for the experience.
Sir Mark Prescott has the best course record of all the trainers here, with a 30% strike rate over the past five seasons. He runs the Pivotal filly, Red Oleander who has had just the two starts to date. Considering her breeding, she has been bitterly disappointing so far, finishing well beaten at both Lingfield and Folkestone. Having struggled from an early stage in both contests, she gives the impression that she is a bit weak at present and is likely to make a better three-year-old.
Any runners from the Mark Johnston yard are usually worth consideration at this venue, and he has entered the filly Marie Du Plessis. She has made just one appearance so far, finishing last of ten behind Ishbelle at Ripon, where she looked very green and rather backward in her coat. She is fully entitled to improve on that effort and her starting price that day suggests she has some ability. Therefore, any market support could be significant, regarding her chances in this, though it would be no surprise to see her competing in nursery handicaps in the near future.
Of the remainder, the only other worth noting is Andrew McCabe’s unraced filly, Phoenix Flame. She is a nicely bred individual who should be capable of winning races at some point in the future. However, the yard is currently struggling to find winners and is not particularly renowned for their success with debutants. Evidence would suggest she is one to watch for the future.
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