Guishan ready to flower again
Mick Appleby is looking forward to another big run from Guishan in the £20,000 EBF Stallions Flower Of Scotland Fillies’ Handicap at Hamilton Park today.
The Rutland raider, who is currently in foal to Cable Bay, is only 3lb higher after her recent narrow success at Chester as she faces conceding weight all round to seven rivals in the 6f dash.
Speaking from the sales in Ireland, Appleby said: “We thought Chester might have been her last race, but we have time to squeeze in another.
“Even before she came into foal, she was a pretty useful mare and she won over course and distance on her only previous visit to the track about this time two years ago.
“It would be great if she could go out on a winning note and we’re hopeful. The ground has come right and she has a good chance in my opinion.”
At the opposite end of the weights, Karl Burke-trained handicap debutant Made Of Honour receives 18lb as she bids to follow up her maiden success at Ayr in late May.
She ran into Epsom Derby fifth and Royal Ascot hero Benbatl on her debut at Doncaster in the spring, but was clear of the rest. She ran well again on Town Moor when third a few weeks later and it was no surprise to see her making it third time lucky at Ayr.
Made Of Honour has not been seen since, but makes her return and handicap debut off what looks a workable mark for a yard enjoying an excellent campaign.
Also in the reckoning could be Southern Belle, a rare runner at the Lanarkshire track for Newmarket trainer Robert Cowell. She has been placed on two of her four starts since scoring at Ripon in the spring.
Jimmy Long’s Thistle Bloodstock colours are certain to be crowned champion owners at Hamilton Park for the third successive season and they are carried by What Wonders Weave in the £10,000 BB Foodservice “Hopes N Dreams” Selling Stakes.
Bombay looks banker material in the opening Always Trying Maiden Stakes. A rare runner for former leading owner Sir Robert Ogden these days, the David O’meara-trained colt found only the more experienced Musical Terms too strong on his introduction at Ripon just over a week ago.
Musical Terms is rated a very solid 78, so that was a decent effort from Bombay first time up and a reproduction of that performance should see him come home in front.
At Goodwood, Mt Augustus, who caught the eye in the latter stages of his Sandown debut, should now be streetwise enough to make his presence felt in the 188bet.co.uk EBF Peter Willett Maiden Stakes, a contest restricted to juveniles sired by horses who won over a mile and a half or further during their own racing careers.
Mt Augustus, a son of Champs Elysees, looked very much in need of the experience on his first day at school last month.
Henry Candy’s charge was green in the preliminaries, on the way to post and for much of the one-mile contest, but there was genuine promise in the way he came home to finish fourth behind the impeccably-bred Dubhe.