Time to Dream Ahead in Middle Park Stakes
Weather maps may be almost as important as a form book for today’s racing at Newmarket.
The consensus from the jockeys riding on the first day of the meeting was that the ground was drying out but, the heavy rain currently scheduled to hit Britain means that conditions should still favour horses who can handle cut in the ground.
That is just what will suit Dream Ahead in the Group One Shadwell Middle Park Stakes. The only colt who comes to the race with an unbeaten record, Dream Ahead won his maiden at Nottingham in July by nine lengths. The quality of that form cannot be regarded as very strong but there is no arguing with his next run, when he beat Tin Horse by one-and-a-half lengths in the Group One Prix Morny at Deauville last month. Irish Field was another two lengths in fifth and he holds Approve on their running in the Group Two Prix Robert Papin at Maisons-Laffitte in July.
Dream Ahead showed some slight signs of greenness, wandering off a straight line in the Morny, but looked as though he won with a fair bit in hand. Strong Suit may well be the biggest danger but ground conditions may have gone against him.
The ground may also have come up too soft for the chances of Hooray in the Group One Adnams Cheveley Park Stakes and Wild Wind could be the one to blow past them all. This year’s renewal of the race does not look up to the usual standard, so her lack of a win at Pattern level is not so much of a problem as it might normally be. She has form on soft ground in Ireland and her head second to Chrysanthemum, in the Group Three CL Weld Park Stakes at the Curragh on Sunday, looks good enough.
The same applies to Look At Me in the Group Three Sakhee Oh So Sharp Stakes, while Penitent (pictured) – who has finished out of the first two just once in eight career starts – looks ready for a step up in grade in the Group Three Nayef Joel Stakes.
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