Bletchley should be too good for her rivals
BLETCHLEY can claim a valuable Listed success in the ebfstallions.com “Eternal” Stakes, one of the feature events on the biggest day of the year at Carlisle.
Ralph Beckett’s three-yearold boasted some good bits of form as a juvenile, particularly when beaten just a short head by subsequent Group One winner Brave Anna in the Albany Stakes at Royal Ascot last year.
While Bletchley thoroughly disappointed when favourite for an Ayr Group Three on her only subsequent start, the Makfi filly showed that was only a minor aberration as she bounced back to winning form on her return this year.
She was getting a fair bit of weight from five-year-old Grade One winner Same Jurisdiction at Leicester at the beginning of June, but Bletchley nevertheless stretched away in fine style and that result puts her upwards of 2lb to the good with all of her rivals here.
The application of a hood clearly helped that day and with the headgear still in place, Bletchley should hit the mark again before her sights are raised once more.
The Carlisle Bell was first contested in 1599 and the Worlds His Oyster can become the latest horse to add his name to the incredibly lengthy roll of honour.
John Quinn’s charge may not be the most obvious choice with just three wins in 19 starts so far, but he has dropped down the ratings a bit in recent weeks and is now back on the 82 he won off at Newcastle in February.
There is a suspicion he might be better on the allweather, but the waiting tactics employed to try to help him see out 10 furlongs of late do not appear to have been in his favour since. Switching down to a mile is a definite plus.
Panko still appears to be relatively unexposed over the 12-furlong distance of the totepool Cumberland Plate.
Ed de Giles only recently switched Panko up from a mile and a quarter and he made a good fist of it when second to Opposition at York earlier this month.
He was shouldering a 4lb rise that day for winning over just short of 12 furlongs, but Panko still stuck on with plenty of credit and could be yet to show his best over this kind of distance.