The Citizen (Gauteng)

Burgonet to notch up third successive win at Salisbury

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– Burgonet can complete a quick-fire hat-trick in the feature event at Salisbury today.

It will be exactly two months since Mark Johnston's filly made her racecourse debut when she lines up in the British Stallion Studs EBF Margadale Fillies' Handicap and this will be her fifth appearance. The daughter of Helmet shaped with significan­t promise when runner-up on her Southwell introducti­on over an inadequate 1600m and she went very close to going one better at Beverley next time over 2400m, going down by just a short head.

She was not winning out of turn when making it third time lucky at Newmarket last month and an opening mark of 80 underestim­ated her progress as she followed

London

up 11 days later on her first start over 2400m at Leicester.

Burgonet is clearly versatile both ground-wise and distancewi­se, so coming back to 2000m on a faster surface is not expected to be a major inconvenie­nce. A 2kg hike is unlikely to be enough to stop her striking gold again in this 20,000-pound contest.

Urban Icon made a big impression on his Windsor debut and is difficult to oppose in the opening Bathwick Car & Van Hire Novice Auction Stakes. The Cityscape colt looked yet another high-class juvenile off the Richard Hannon production line a fortnight ago, stretching 3.50 lengths clear without being asked for maximum effort.

What the form is worth is still up in the air, but Hannon was talking of Royal Ascot in the immediate aftermath and he will have to make it two from two if he is to head for Ascot with realistic claims.

Ahlan Bil Emarati can open his account at the third attempt in the Racing To School Novice Auction Stakes at Thirsk. Kevin Ryan's inmate was third on his first start at Musselburg­h and the form is rock solid with the winner, Nicki's Angel, running well in Listed company next time and the runner-up, Deep Intrigue, since scoring at Beverley.

It was a shade disappoint­ing that Ahlan Bil Emarati could not justify short-priced favouritis­m on his second appearance, finding little for pressure after hitting the front, but perhaps a subsequent gelding operation will help in that respect.

Howman rates the best bet at Lingfield's evening fixture in the Michael Waller Memorial "Confined" Novice Stakes. Roger Varian's charge looked a winner waiting to happen after finishing third on his Newmarket debut, but he could only manage sixth at Chester's May meeting.

This is a weaker race and entries in the Queen's Vase and the King Edward VII Stakes at Royal Ascot suggest connection­s feel he is capable of far more than he has shown on the track so far. -

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 ??  ?? MARK JOHNSTON.
MARK JOHNSTON.

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