Fentiman hopes for Xcelente ride as Malton raider eyes Hamilton prize
Duran Fentiman is looking forward to his ride on Tim Easterby-trained Xcelente in the feature race at Hamilton Park today.
The Malton raider faces six rivals in the #Cleanstay At Hampton By Hilton Bothwell Castle, a race that has gone to the favourite in the last three renewals.
Fentiman said: “I’ve ridden him a fair bit since he came to the yard and we won and were second three times together on the all-weather during the autumn and winter of last year. He’s gone up a fair bit since winning at Southwell in October but he was placed off a higher mark when with Mark Johnston as a two-year-old so you never know.”
Among the six rivals facing Xcelente are recent course winner Celtic Empress and Brequet Boy and Jump The Gun, trained by Keith Dalgleish and Iain Jardine respectively.
Come Quick, trained in Middleham by Karl Burke, looks the one to beat in the British Stallion Studs EBF Maiden Stakes after his recent third over five furlongs at the Lanarkshire venue.
The impressive winner that day, Perfect Power, is set to advertise the form in tomorrow’s Group 2 Norfolk Stakes at Royal Ascot.
Mark Johnston-trained Miss Roulette is likely to feature as one of the market principals in the Follow @ hamiltonparkrc On Twitter Handicap. The filly is making her debut in handicap company off a tempting opening mark of 71 and is one of several
fancied rides on the card for Ben Curtis.
Meanwhile, on a hugely competitive card for day two of the Royal Ascot meeting, Maydanny catches the eye as a feasible solution to what is traditionally one of the toughest puzzles of the week. The 30-runner Royal Hunt Cup routinely falls to a winner at double-figure odds, and if Maydanny prevails this time he is likely to continue that trend. Much - most specifically the quick ground - appears to be in favour of Mark Johnston's five-year-old, though.
It has been evident throughout Maydanny's career that a sound surface is very important to him, and no surprise either since his superstar dam Attraction - a dual Royal Ascot winner for the same yard - had a similar preference.
Conditions were right when Maydanny outclassed a decent handicap field over 10 furlongs at Goodwood last summer. He has run well twice since - including on his return at Newmarket last month- before appearing to be outstayed in the finish at nine and 10 furlongs, having been suited perhaps by Goodwood's less testing contours. So the drop back to a mile on the straight course here should definitely see him in his best light.