River Thames represents top class connections in O’Brien, Moore and Ballydoyle. He was a winner of his only start over 7f in September at Punchestown, when winning by a neck from the useful Changingoftheguard.
He’s by Churchill, and the Dam side doesn’t exactly scream stamina, so it will be interesting to see how he fares here. This could likely prove a marker for the Ballydoyle battalion with a view to the upcoming classics.
Fascinating contender.
A winner at this course on debut, though he failed to get his head in front again in his 2yo season. He was tried in listed company last time out on soft ground in the Silver Tankard Stakes when only beaten a neck by Mr Professor.
Westover was sent off as an 8/11 shot there so he was fully expected to win. He looks a shade frustrating as he’s evidently talented and has a lovely pedigree, he may just have his own way of thinking.
If he’s matured from 2-3, he could be a major player.
Impressive on debut at this track in September, he then backed up that evident promise with a G3 win up in trip in the Zetland Stakes at Newmarket.
He was unable to make it 3/3 when sent to Saint-Cloud for their G1 over a mile and a quarter.
There are some excuses though, he was a touch keen and the ground was desperate (officially very-soft), and he might have been beaten by two above average horses.
But he looks the number one for the yard on jockey bookings and has the strongest form in the field, could well take this en route to the Derby.
Full brother to the top class Cracksman, Frantastic has ran twice and he managed to get his head in front, readily on his last outing. On debut he was beaten by the potentially above average Israr.
Frantastic then obliged at odds of 2/13 when scoring in a novice at Newcastle, and the trainer does often send some of his better ones there for a novice (Enable, Palace Pier etc).
Like most of the field, he’s totally unexposed but he’s a classier pedigree than most and he’s in top hands to progress – chance.
Steadily progressive is Groundbreaker, for Andrew Balding. He was winless at 2 but readily won on his first try on turf at Doncaster on Lincoln Day, leaving a favourable impression.
He is one with the benefit of a recent run, though he might not be up to the class of some of these – he will need to make his sharpness count.
Unbeaten in his only start to date last year, beating Al Nafir (won since) at Newmarket in October. Cash has a nice pedigree, with plenty of stamina on the dam side – so he should relish this step up in trip.
The form of his Maiden worked out well enough and he could be anything, but he’ll likely prove vulnerable to a classier sort.
Franz Strauss just scraped home in a Newcastle novice in December, but he’s left the door open for plenty of improvement.
He has a nice pedigree, certainly not eye watering but he should really relish this step up in trip on a testing track. James Doyle is on so he’s perhaps not the stable number one.
| Date | Course | Distance | Type | Weight | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10/02/23 | MEY | 10 | Fs | 8-6 | 1 |
| 27/01/23 | MEY | 9.5 | M | 9-0 | 1 |
| 23/12/22 | MEY | 10 | Gd | 8-8 | 6 |
| 06/08/22 | ASC | 12 | GF | 10-0 | 9 |
| 21/07/22 | SAN | 14 | Gd | 9-7 | 2 |
