Nottingham trip worth it for Dunlop
TRIP TO PARIS can gain a much-needed shot of confidence when he goes in pursuit of Listed honours at Nottingham.
Ed Dunlop’s likeable stayer is, lest we forget, an Ascot Gold Cup winner, but he has not found the score sheet since that halcyon afternoon in June 2015.
Context is perhaps required as Trip To Paris has had his injury problems and has also been aggressively campaigned on an international scale when he has been fit.
Be that as it may, Dunlop will still be very keen to get him back to winning ways in the totepool Barry Hills Further Flight Stakes to make life a little easier with the summer in mind.
It barely goes without saying that Trip To Paris is the highestrated horse in this field, with Ryan Moore’s appointment hardly off-putting.
He should also be fit enough, too, after having finished well down the field in the Dubai Gold Cup three weeks ago when the rain in Dubai did him no favours whatsoever.
The six-year-old gelding still has a question or two that needs answering, which could play to punters’ strengths as he might be overpriced for this assignment.
Trip To Paris will also be suited by the relatively brisk conditions at Nottingham for a race his trainer won in 2013 with Testosterone.
Kyllang Rock has been off the track for over 200 days, but he might still be good enough to win the five-furlong conditions stakes.
The three-year-old colt probably falls short of Pattern class but he still had quite a profitable juvenile campaign, with a good victory at Catterick backed up by another good show at Haydock.
That last run on Merseyside was especially pleasing as he did really well to get to within a neck of Merry Banter, to whom he was giving 10lb.
Kyllang Rock looks the sort that will improve with age, so trainer James Tate will be rightly buoyant his inmate can improve upon a rating of 92 this term. This looks a nice starting point.
Catterick’s meeting looks hard, yet Bold Spirit might give us a good run for our dough in division one of the six-furlong handicap.
The six-year-old showed a nice level of consistency towards the end of last season and was also a two-time course-and-distance winner last summer.
Bold Spirit could do with a drop or two of the wet stuff, but he is only 2lb higher than when he last won at Catterick in August.
Camargue has never fulfilled her juvenile promise, but she did enough at Southwell last time to warrant a little bit of support in the seven-furlong classified stakes at Kempton.