Long Lashes makes eye-catching appeal at Leicester
In what could be a hugely triumphant seven days for Saeed bin Suroor and the Godolphin stable, they look to have started the week as they mean to go on.
Yesterday’s comfortable victory of Secrecy in a valuable conditions race at Salisbury set the tone for what Bin Suroor is hoping will be a Group One double on Saturday with Poet’s Voice in the Champion Stakes and classy two-year old Saamidd in the Dewhurst Stakes. And the stable may find themselves in the winners’ enclosure again today, with Long Lashes in the Wreake Fillies’ Conditions Stakes.
Despite the filly struggling to live up to her two-year old potential shown under Jessica Harrington, which triggered Godolphin's decision to purchase her last season, Saeed Bin Suroor’s 80% strike-rate at Leicester since 2005 in all-aged conditions races can’t be ignored.
Long Lashes has failed to get her head in front this season, but was very unlucky in a Listed race behind Seta at Sandown in August, where she was stuck behind a wall of horses and ran on late to finish a short-head second. Behind her that day was Decorative, a Michael Jarvis three-year-old who had held Group One entries at the start of the season but has had problems at home. But if Phillip Robinson can settle her down better than her last run, she could be a big threat to turn the tables on the Godolphin runner.
Yair Hill has form lines that puts her in the vicinity of both Saamidd (finished seven lengths second) and Solario Stakes winner Native Khan (staying on sixth on debut), and if the rain stays away John Dunlop looks to have found a race in Wymeswold Conditions Stakes where Yair Hill can break his duck.
Amy Ryan is generating herself a nice list of high-class trainer contacts, and is developing into one of the most reliable claiming jockeys in the business. She gave Sea Lord a peach of a ride in a competitive handicap at Newmarket earlier in the season for Mark Johnson, which shows the ability she possesses. Ryan takes the ride aboard s****. Dee in the Whissendine Selling Stakes today, who has course-and-distance winning form, and although needed to be played late in the day, the young jockey has the tactical nous to make the right moves at the right time to land the spoils.
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