Our ambassador on her chances of a second Classic success on an unbeaten filly in the Italian Oaks on Sunday plus her six rides at Lingfield Park on Saturday evening, live on Sky Sports Racing.
I’M OFF TO ITALY FOR PLUM CLASSIC RIDE
I’ll be on an early morning flight to Italy on Sunday to ride the likely favourite SHAVASANA in the Group 2 Oaks d’Italia (6.00) at the San Siro in Milan.
It’s an exciting opportunity to achieve a second Classic winner following my unforgettable day with Nashwa in the French version last summer.
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Shavasana brings impressive credentials to the race after re-appearing to win a fillies’ Group 3 over 1m at Capannelle in Rome last month. She did that convincingly on heavy ground and though she travels exuberantly, should have a good chance of staying the additional three furlongs on a sounder surface, being by Gleneagles.
Stefano Botti’s filly will carry the colours of Yoshida Katsumi, who also owns my Group 1 winner The Platinum Queen. We got to know each other when I was in Japan last winter so it’s great to get the call up and to ride at the San Siro for the very first time.
BREAKTHROUGH WIN FOR IMAD FILLY WOULD BE AMAZING
My best chance at Lingfield Park on Saturday night, in front of the Sky Sports Racing cameras, is probably my boss Imad Alsagar’s AMAZING in the At The Races App Expert Tips Fillies’ Handicap (8.45).
This looks an ideal assignment for Roger Varian’s nicely bred daughter of Siyouni who definitely has the scope to improve on her run at Nottingham last month when she got bogged down in the testing ground.
Lingfield presents a different kind of test but is also a left-handed track so I’m hoping she can exploit a falling mark of 69 on a much sounder surface and get that all-important first win against her name.
PARADISE OPEN TO IMPROVEMENT
William Knight’s Zoffany filly PARADISE ROW has been improving with experience so should give me a nice ride in the Free Tips Daily On attheraces.com Restricted Novice Stakes (8.15).
She improved on her All-Weather debut run to be second in a 1m maiden at Redcar last time, staying on nicely to suggest she’s ready for this step up to 10f. We’re up against some decent rivals including last-time-out winner Kehlani but this will be a good measure of her progress before she steps into handicaps.
STORM BREWING IN LINGFIELD OPENER
Ed Dunlop’s been operating at an impressive strike rate of just over 30 per cent in the past two weeks and STREETSTORM could enhance that statistic in the Royal Ascot On Sky Sports Racing Handicap (5.35).
I thought the filly ran well in a 1m handicap at Doncaster a few weeks ago, considering the race was run at a muddling sort of pace, and she’s now 2lb better off.
Later, I’m looking forward to my first ever ride for young Newmarket trainer Jack Jones on THE WAITING GAME in the Royal Ascot Form Study On attheraces.com Classified Stakes (6.10). She’s shown signs of ability in maiden and handicap company, including at Catterick last time out, and should benefit from this drop in grade as she goes in search of her first win at the sixth attempt.
CITY IN PURSUIT OF FIRST TURF SUCCESS
We know much more about Tony Carroll’s All-Weather regular SOCIAL CITY who goes in pursuit of his first ever turf win in the 2m Sky Sports Racing HD Virgin 519 Handicap (7.15).
He’s run well on good ground, which bodes well, and a repeat of his close second on Tapeta last time will put him in the mix. Like Social City, Henry Spiller’s TAHASUN has produced her best form on synthetics but can hopefully leave her comeback run at Pontefract well behind, when she reportedly lost her action and finished tailed off. She takes her chance in the Sky Sports Racing Sky 415 Handicap (7.45).