THE high-flying combination of Jason Hart and John Quinn may be the duo to follow if Redcar’s Friday meeting survives the expected battering from Storm Babet.
Fresh from superstar filly Highfield Princess’s victory in the Group 1 Prix de l’Abbaye at Longchamp, Hart and Quinn team up for some strong contenders at the North-East seaside.
Two-year-old filly Puella Law looks their best chance in the Market Cross Jewellers British EBF Restricted Novice Stakes. She still looked green when fourth of eight at Chelmsford earlier this month after a promising second at Beverley on her debut and should come on for the experience.
Earlier in the card Hart and Quinn have their sights set on the Happy 40th Birthday Gary Sivills EBF Novice Stakes with another juvenile, Eye of Dubai. The £42,000 Havana Grey colt was slowly away on his debut at Chester last month but only went down by a neck.
The eight-race card is due to start at 1.35pm with division one of the Brannans Have Done The 61 Handicap, and Jason Hart has another solid chance with Sacred Falls, trained in the Scottish Borders by Katie Scott. The Dark Angel filly stayed on well in the mud to win last time at Ayr and could defy the three-pound penalty.
Kevin Ryan has had a fruitful October, with six winners so far, and the Hambleton trainer’s Catch Cunningham shaped well to be fourth in a Pontefract handicap at the start of October. Tom Eaves’ mount might be hard to catch in division two.
Michael Dods is having a relatively quiet month, but the County Durham trainer has a strong hand in the Sam Hall Memorial Handicap with two course and distance winners, Zuffolo and Emeralds Pride (pictured below). The latter, ridden by PJ McDonald, is admirably tough and is aiming for a four-timer.
JKR Cobbler, trained in the Scottish Borders by Iain Jardine, ran well in heavy ground to be third at Ayr last week. With plenty of rain expected, he could go well again under Andrew Mullen in the Gary Wilson 65th Birthday Celebration Handicap.
Hayley Turner is scheduled for just one ride at Redcar, on Run Zarak Run for Newmarket trainer Harry Eustace in the Every Race Live On Racing TV Novice Stakes. The form of her debut third at Leicester has worked out well, with the second winning since, so Turner’s trip may pay off.
The Frankel filly, Verbier – trained by Ralph Beckett and ridden by Rossa Ryan – hasn’t been seen since winning on her debut at Wolverhampton back in March. Signs of confidence in the market should be noted.
Foursome, trained in Lincolnshire by Olly Williams, relished the heavy going in a Nottingham apprentice handicap nine days ago and can follow up under three-pound claimer Alice Keighley in the concluding Watch Racing Replays At racingtv.com Handicap for female amateur jockeys.
- Redcar's Track manager Stephen Berry told the Racing Post yesterday: "We are forecast up to 20mm of rain on both Thursday and Friday. There are also gale force winds forecast for Friday. We're set fine for racing at the moment, we just have to sit tight, wait and see what happens."