Stratford winner Theonlywayiswessex is back off to the Midlands tomorrow
July 16
Another quiet week for Barbury, though Finest View and Nap Hand did us proud when being placed at Stratford and Windsor respectively.
We have runners at Bath, Ffos Las and Worcester over the next couple of days, and Theonlywayiswessex again looks to have solid claims on the last-named track.
Having been placed at Bangor, Wolverhampton and Stratford since undergoing a wind operation last summer, Theonlywayiswessex has his first experience of the Midlands track on Thursday in an attempt to follow up his victory in novice company on Shakespeare’s course a month ago.
Theonlywayiswessex looks to have relished the switch to fences, but, having quickly left the chasing pack struggling when Tom Cannon gave him his head after the last, he maybe won too well as the handicapper has hiked him up 9lb.
Implacable, who is closely related to Primitivo, the horse who provided Alan with his first Royal Ascot success when winning the King George V Handicap in 2016, ran her best race yet when finishing third in her first handicap at Wolverhampton in June.
The step up to a mile and a half brought out the best in Implacable, but the filly was staying on so well up the straight, suggesting that she might well improve again now that she tries 14 furlongs on the Somerset course tomorrow.
Alan has booked the talented Billy Loughnane to ride Advert Rules in the mile and a half handicap at Ffos Las tomorrow. Four of his five races have been on the all-weather and he beat only one home on his turf debut at Newbury.
Like Implacable, Advert Rules has been doing his best work at the end of his races, so he, too, could appreciate encountering more of a stamina test than he did when finishing fourth over a shorter trip at Wolverhampton last time.
We have only the one entry for Saturday, Insanity heading off to Yorkshire, where he is 4lb higher than when winning at Windsor in April. Having been off games since pulling up over hurdles at Kempton’s Christmas meeting, Insanity, whose target is the RiponBell-Ringer Handicap, got up in the last few strides to win a neck on the Thames-side course.
Granted, Insanity is jumping up two grades from Windsor, but while Alan realises it will be a stiff task against older horses, a mile and a half on easy ground is ideal for this progressive four-year-old.
We have two entries for Stratford on Sunday, but Alan will doubtless want the ground to remain on top before he declares both course and distance winner On Se Calme and also Royal Pretender, who has not made the winner’s enclosure for almost three years but ran well to take minor honours at Uttoxeter last time.
