A cautious Approach in today’s feature
RACE IS WIDE OPEN, BUT GLAMOROUS APPEALS
TAKE a chance on Glamorous Approach to tough it out better than her 10 rivals in the Group 3 Denny Cordell Lavarack & Lanwades Studs Fillies Stakes in Gowran Park today. The Jim Bolger-trained four-year-old filly has campaigned consistently all season, can handle testing conditions and, although it’s difficult to be confident about her optimum trip, looks certain to be involved at the business end. Glamorous Approach has won twice this season, landing a mile-and-a-half Curragh handicap in May, off a mark of 97, before capturing the listed Silver Stakes on the same track two weeks later, beating one of today’s rivals LAGANORE by a length and a quarter. Her form also includes a battling second to Flying Fairies in the listed Lenabane at Roscommon and a fourth to another of today’s opposition Alluringly in the Hurry Harriet over this course and distance. Last time, she ran another cracker to finish third, beaten less than a length behind Irish Oaks third Eziyra and Exemplar in the Group 3 Enterprise Stakes (a mile and a half) at Leopardstown last week. Today’s contest, over an extended nine furlongs, is wide open. But Glamorous should reward each-way support. British raider WILAMINA, trained by Martyn Meade, won at listed level at Nottingham before finishing second to Elizabeth Browning in a Group 2 at the Curragh (Laganore was third, Pocketfullofdreams fifth) and can be excused a below par effort in a Group 1 in France last time. She enters calculations, along with Dermot Weld’s DABULENA, a course and distance winner when last seen in May. And Aidan O’brien mounts a three-pronged challenge, headed by course and distance winner ALLURINGLY, with KEY TO MY HEART another player. Elsewhere on a tricky card, Epsom Derby hero Padraig Beggy might enjoy a welcome success on board CHRISTOPHER ROBIN in the one-mile Irish Stallion Farms 2-Y-0 Maiden. Runner-up to subsequent Group 3 winner Nelson on his debut at Leopardstown, he disappointed when only seventh to another stable-companion Saxon Warrior at the Curragh and must turn the tables on runner-up MEAGHERS FLAG. I believe the Camelot colt is better than he showed last time. And he gets the vote in a race in which support for newcomer IMAGING might be significant.