Alan kick-starts his two-year-old team at Newbury tomorrow

July 17

A brief flurry of heavy showers at Newbury late morning will have been welcomed by clerk of the course George Hill as he looks ahead to our Super Sprint meeting which starts tomorrow.

However, it is still very humid here, and with temperatures expected to go back up to 26 degrees by first-race time we would probably need the heavens to open a few more times over the next 24 hours to alter the official going description from ‘good to firm’.

The versatile One Cool Dreamer, who was unlucky not to finish in the frame in first-time cheekpieces on the Flat at Newbury last month and has since been runner-up over hurdles at Bangor, is back on the level tonight at Epsom, where Emma Smith will be hoping to receive a dream ride from the gelding in the Ladies Derby.

Alan, who also gives Market Rasen bumper winner I’d Go Maniac his first run on the Flat at Leicester this afternoon, has just the one runner tomorrow and Saturday.

Sharp Glance, who won her first handicap over hurdles at Bangor a fortnight ago, aims to follow up at Market Rasen, but beforehand Alan runs his first two-year-old of the season when Plan C is introduced in the seven furlong novice at our local course.

Plan C, an 80,000gns purchase at the Newmarket Craven meeting Breeze-Up Sale in April, is a half-brother to seven winners, including Thomas Edison, on whom AP McCoy won the Galway Hurdle for JP McManus 11 years ago.

Clearly, Plan C, who carries the colours of Max McNeill and Ian Dale, is one for the future and trips much further than this are on the horizon.

But Plan C is by G1 sprint winner Sioux Nation, a sire who was responsible for She’s Perfect, first past the post in last month’s French 1000 Guineas a Longchamp. only to lose the race in the stewards room, So, hopefully, Plan C will have inherited some of his dad’s lightning pace.