Duty Free’s out to Fox all his rivals at Lingfield
FOX Duty Free has been a completely reformed character since moving to Ralph Beckett’s stable winning both his races for the Kimpton trainer.
That is a far cry from his last two outings for Andrew Balding, for whom the son of Kingman had unseated his rider and refused to race - although he had shown ability early in his career.
Remarkably, he has turned his fortunes around with a pair of seven-furlong victories at Lingfield - and he is back for more tomorrow.
He steps up a furlong at the Surrey track for the Bombardier British-Hopped Amber Beer Handicap, but that is unlikely to stop him completing the hat-trick.
Fox Duty Free takes another hike in grade, having now gone up a total of 17lb, but he may not have stopped improving yet.
Thapa Vc got off the mark at the third attempt and can follow up in the Play Ladbrokes 5-A-Side On Football Nursery Handicap.
Sir Mark Prescott’s youngster shaped well on his first two starts and then appreciated the step up to seven furlongs with a game success at Wolverhampton. He tackles a mile this time, but that should not inconvenience the son of The Gurkha.
Privacy can confirm the promise of her racecourse debut to get off the mark in the Get Your Ladbrokes Daily Odds Boost Novice Median Auction Stakes.
Visibility was limited because of fog at Chelmsford, but the David Menuisier-trained filly was slowly away and detached from the rest of the field in the early stages.
By halfway in the seven-furlong contest she had made up the ground and stuck on well to finish third behind Miss Finland.
That was a decent effort in the circumstances, and she will know more this time.
Hunny Moon was a promising second on her jumping debut and can go one better in the LPS British Stallion Studs EBF Mares’ ‘National Hunt’ Novices’ Hurdle at Warwick.
The six-year-old, trained by Fergal O’Brien, was expected to get off the mark first time at Leicester where she was sent off the 11-8 favourite. However, she could not peg back all-the-way winner Found On after making a mistake at the third-last flight.
That experience will have done Hunny Moon good, and she should waste no more time in opening her account over hurdles after winning a bumper in March.
WARWICK