ELEGANT PERFORMER
SHE DOESN’T have the best of the draw so despite Glorious Angel being a bet for me at Musselburgh’s abandoned meeting on Saturday, I’m reluctantly passing her over at Pontefract today.
Edwin Tuer’s filly was much better than the bare result over a stiff 6f in the Cammidge trophy, and will be winning soon.
But bearing in mind the draw, ready preference is for course regular ELEGANT ERIN (3.15), who is best held up off a strong pace and is likely to get that scenario here with The Bell Conductor, Looking For Lynda and the aforementioned Glorious Angel all looking to take a prominent pitch and likely to go a stride too fast as a result.
A winner over C&D, the Paul Midgley-trained Elegant Erin has a course record of 23152 while two runs on heavy ground last term over 5f saw her finish third at Hamilton and to the reopposing Spoof at Nottingham in October, beaten 1¾ lengths.
She needed the run after five months off at Newcastle four weeks ago but improved when beaten just a length into fifth there last time in a race won by Pepsi Cat.
Chances
She can now meet Spoof on 10lb better terms (13lb when allowances are taken account of) in this rematch, and I fancy her chances of turning the tables with the advantage of race fitness.
The Lincoln meeting at Doncaster is always an intriguing one for the notebook as not only are there plenty of horses running who will improve for an outing, but there tends to be a bias at work there, either due to patchy ground or to wind, which comes into play on the Town Moor track more than at most venues.
Last Saturday was such a day, with a strong wind, either part across or in the runners’ faces, making it hard for those on the pace to last out on the straight track.
One horse in particular took my eye from the Spring Mile with track bias in mind, HARSWELL DUKE (4.45) tried to make the running into the wind and on the wrong side of the track and can be forgiven for fading.
Winner of the race last year, he was quietly fancied to bounce back to form, but everything went against him.