The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Take Lady Aria to hit winning note again
Previous showings mark Bell’s filly as one to watch at headquarters
LADY ARIA may prove a cut above her rivals in the Listed Irish Stallion Farms EBF “Bosra Sham” Fillies’ Stakes at Newmarket.
Michael Bell’s Kodiac filly has kept significantly better company than the majority of her eight rivals and should really have them covered in the sixfurlong centrepiece at HQ.
It took Lady Aria four attempts to hit a winning note, before she did so with ease at long odds-on in a Haydock maiden at the end of September.
It is what she achieved before then, though, that sets her apart here.
After outrunning her 10-1 starting price over course and distance in a narrow defeat against previous scorer Firelight, Lady Aria was unable to get off the mark down to five furlongs at Chepstow.
But she nonetheless graduated with honours to Group Three level, improving past Firelight in the process, when only Yourtimeisnow could beat her in the Shadwell Dick Poole Fillies’ Stakes at Salisbury.
She has fine prospects of a second successive career success.
Her jockey Jason Watson may be in for a fruitful afternoon because he teams up again with DANZAN in the Heath Court Hotel Conditions Stakes.
On the face of it, after a seven-month break during which Danzan was gelded, Andrew Balding’s three-yearold faces a tough task to concede 22lb to likely favourite Madkhal.
But class, experience and maturity can count for plenty, and Danzan proved that with predictably easy backto-back Polytrack victories over this six-furlong distance at Chelmsford when he was last seen.
KASBAAN appeared to derive remarkable benefit from a five-month break, and perhaps more so a wind operation, when he got off the mark decisively at his third attempt.
That was on the all-weather at Lingfield in September, when he easily floored a 1-2 favourite.
The market may remember Owen Burrows’ colt floundering over this course and distance previously, but, if so, that will be extra reason to support him to follow up in the Christmas At The Heath Court Handicap.
SELECTIONS
NEWMARKET: 12.30 Fightwithme, 1.05 Danzan, 1.40 LADY ARIA (NAP), 2.15 Kasbaan, 2.50 Here’s Alice, 3.25 War Brigade, 4.00 Sawwaah.
WETHERBY: 1.20 Ballyhome, 1.55 Poetic Rhythm, 2.30 Chief Justice, 3.05 Copain De Classe, 3.40 Dino Velvet, 4.10 Denmead.
DOUBLE: Kasbaan and Lady Aria.