Fortune to favour Wadilsafa
WADILSAFA can handle the step up in the Smarkets Fortune Stakes at Sandown.
Bred to be very good, being by Frankel out of Rumoush, he has not been rushed by Owen Burrows and connections can now reap the benefit.
He only ran once last year, when second to a fellow Frankel colt in Herculean, and he took on the same horse on his reappearance this season.
Wadilsafa gained his revenge, as he should have done in receipt of 7lb, but he was then upped markedly in class for the Hampton Court Stakes at Royal Ascot.
A long-striding colt, he did not appreciate being held up there and he was trapped wide with no cover. In the end he was not disgraced and duly hit the mark in a decent handicap at York on his next outing.
Taking on some solid yardsticks off a mark of 100, he was allowed to use his raking stride and made all to win in fine style, coming home in splendid isolation.
The Sandown hill should suit him and he looks ready to take this rise in grade in his stride.
Richard Hannon had several to choose from in the Smarkets Conditions Stakes but he decided on Walkinthesand.
The Footstepsinthesand colt is unlucky to still be a maiden after being denied only by a short head on his debut over the same seven furlongs he faces here.
Given the Tom Dascombe-trained winner had already had two runs and went on to finish third in a good nursery at Doncaster on Saturday from a mark of 82, that form looks above average.
Jamie Osborne looks to have a very nice type in Lush Life, who can remain unbeaten in the Smarkets Betting Exchange Fillies’ Handicap.
Having won her only start last year at Kempton in November, she did not reappear until the end of last month at Chelmsford.
Victory looked unlikely as she had far more in front of her than behind her with two furlongs to run, but she quickened up smartly to run down John Gosden’s 77-rated Dolcissimo.
She starts life handicapping off 85 and that looks very fair.
Sir Michael Stoute’s Sovereign Grant, owned by the Queen, made a pleasing debut 19 days ago at Sandown and can show the benefit of that in the British Stallion Studs EBF Maiden Stakes at Yarmouth.
By Kingman, he finished fourth of 10 and knowing how Stoute operates, he can be trusted to improve a great deal for that experience.
It is telling that he holds an entry in the Dewhurst and next year’s Derby.