Adoration to score quick double
Mark Johnston’s Adoration looks a step ahead of the handicapper at present and is the one to beat in the Mousetrap Challenge Cup Handicap at Sandown Park tomorrow.
Already the winner of two of his three starts this term, the Middleham raider flew home to score by six lengths at Beverley last week.
The Royal Applause gelding turned that race into a procession with the aid of first-time blinkers, which are reapplied tomorrow, and he looks capable of further improvement.
He is sure to be heavily penalised by the handicapper for that success and he should be able to follow up with just a 6lb penalty.
Michael Jarvis has much bigger fish to fry next week when stable star Rakti spearheads his Royal Ascot team, but in the meantime Sand Fairy can land the Royal Star & Garter Home Fillies’ Handicap.
The daughter of Desert King made a winning debut over a mile on the Polytrack at Lingfield last November and has performed with credit in all her three starts since then.
On her return to the Surrey track she was beaten just three lengths in fifth place behind the smart colt Im Spartacus before finishing runner-up to Thakafaat at Pontefract and third to Blue Torpedo on Lingfield’s turf track.
Both those runs were over a mile and a quarter, and she sticks to that trip tomorrow.
She was a little squeezed for room at the business end last time and looks capable of winning off her current mark.
At Goodwood, Planet can follow up a recent impressive course win in the Crimbourne Stud Stakes.
His trainer Michael Bell is no doubt still on a high following Motivator’s romp in the Derby last weekend and Planet can keep the Newmarket handler riding on the crest of a wave.
The three-year-old bolted up by three lengths last time out having failed to stay when upped in trip at Doncaster earlier in the month.
However, the gelding had won at Windsor on his previous start and is fancied to cope with a further rise in the weights.
The Snatcher was well fancied when winning at Ripon late last month and he must have a good chance of following up in the toteplacepot/E.B.F. Novice Stakes at Chepstow.
Richard Hannon’s juvenile had come off second-best on his first two outings but managed to go one place better when making the long journey north from his Wiltshire base to Yorkshire.
Despite the soft ground, the colt broke smartly and made most of the running to score by a length and a half.
That run is sure to have done his confidence the world of good and given the way he ran to the line, the step back up to six furlongs should not be a problem for this progressive youngster.
