Morning With Ivan targets Perth feature
● Corbett’s mare to the fore on Ladies Day ● Crossed Baton is Gosden’s Dante hope
Morning With Ivan will bid to start the new season in style when she attempts to follow up last month’s course-and -distance win on a bumper eight-race Totepool Ladies Day card at Perth today.
The mare, trained in Northumberland by Susan Corbett, is one of nine declared for the £15,000 Timothy Hardie Diamond Pendant Handicap Hurdle over two miles.
Otterburn-based Corbett said: “She won nicely last time and there’s no reason why she shouldn’t produce another good effort. She’s gone up 5lb but she has had a tremendous run of form with four wins last season from just six races.
“It’s quite rare for a mare to return to racing and perform like she has and she seems to have been revitalised since becoming a mother.”
Morning With Ivan’s rivals include top-weight Excellent Result whose Newmarket trainer Richard Spencer was represented by Rajasinghe in the 2,000 Guineas. Also in the line-up is Raise A Spark, representing the newly-cemented Donald Mccain/brian Hughes partnership.
Aidan Coleman and Venetia Williams team up twice, starting with Subcontinent in the opening Bet Toteplacepot At totesport.com Maiden Hurdle.
In the Betfred Dante Stakes at York today, Crossed Baton can provide John Gosden with a third victory in the last four renewals.
Widely regarded as Britain’s leading trial for the Derby, the Group Two contest has a slightly sub-standard look this season and it will take something
0 Crossed Baton is John Gosden’s big hope in the Dante Stakes. extraordinary for 2,000 Guineas hero Saxon Warrior to be challenged at the head of ante-post lists for the premier Classic.
The last horse to score on the Knavesmire before going on to claim Epsom glory was the Gosden-trained Golden Horn in 2015, and Crossed Baton can at least establish himself as a realistic contender.
The Dansili colt has won three of his four starts to date, most recently making all the running in the Blue Riband Trial at Epsom. While there was nothing flashy about his performance, he showed a willing attitude to come out on top and the form was boosted at Chester last week, with the runner-up, My Lord And Master, finishing second in the Dee Stakes and the third home, Dee Ex Bee, going down narrowly in the Chester Vase.
Crossed Baton will certainly need to improve to win again, but that is not inconceivable, with the forecast fast ground expected to suit.
It could be another excellent day at the office for Gosden and Frankie Dettori, with Coronet setting a standard that will be tough to match in the Betfred Middleton Stakes.
The daughter of Dubawi won the Ribblesdale Stakes at Royal Ascot last summer and finished second to esteemed stablemate Enable in the Yorkshire Oaks here in August.
She went on to take fifth in the St Leger and third on Champions Day at Ascot and while her fitness has to be taken on trust on her seasonal reappearance, she is a confident selection.
Custom Cut should go well at rewarding odds in the Betfred TV Hambleton Handicap.
David O’meara’s stable stalwart is in the autumn of his career at nine, but it is only 12 months since he won a Group Three in Ireland. He spent much of 2017 in Group races and Listed events without success and with his mark having dropped as a result, he can now compete back in handicap company.
He was far from disgraced in finishing fourth on his reappearance at Haydock in conditions that were softer than ideal, so the handicapper’s decision to drop him another 3lb to a rating of 102 looks a tad generous. He is a winner at York and having blown away any cobwebs at Haydock, should run a big race.