Week Two Advice:
Back Rousing Encore on his next outing.
Back Drunk In Love on her next outing.
Back Borletti on his next three starts.
Back Democracy Dilemma on his next three starts.
In finishing first and second at Leicester, Jiffy Boy and Evolicatt gave the Brocklesby form an immediate boost. The pair had previously finished a well-beaten third and fifth respectively behind the impressive Persian Force at Doncaster. Suffice to say, Persian Force is already considered a Royal Ascot candidate.
This early season form appears to be strong and thus the performance of Richard Fahey’s Rousing Encore – third at Leicester – certainly caught the eye. Slowly away, and racing keen, Rousing Encore gradually learnt his job and stayed on well, unsurprising given he is a half-brother to the Group-placed Majestic Dawn (out of Dawn Approach, rated 111 and a winner over middle-distances).
Equally, as a son of Acclamation, Rousing Encore is expected to be sharp enough to win as a juvenile and on this evidence a maiden victory could be imminent. With a little less greenness at the start he could very well have won at Leicester itself. Fahey’s colt is one to keep onside.
With the aforementioned Persian Force, Crispy Cat & Fix You already winning (and Primrose Ridge and Forceful Speed both runners-up) it is safe to say Amo Racing have hit the ground running with their juveniles in Britain and Ireland. Consequently, their two-year-olds could be over-bet. And whilst it would therefore be wise to avoid prohibitive odds in this division, Michael O’Callaghan’s Drunk In Love is a filly to follow after her eye-catching debut at Dundalk
Wearing a noseband, finishing fourth behind Jessica Harrington’s It’s Showtime Baby (Harrington already appears to have a useful crop of juveniles) and being well-beaten by four lengths, this may appear an injudicious and risky selection. However, here is a €90,000 Bungle Inthejungle filly bred for speed and a half-sister to three juvenile winners, including the smart Second Wind.
Sent off at 6/4, Drunk In Love was quickly taken to the fore before nearly bucking off rider Leigh Roche and subsequently dropping to the rear. Once settling, she ran a solid race given she could never get seriously involved after her misdemeanours.
All things considered, Drunk In Love’s early antics can presumably be put down to inexperience on debut. The filly came in for strong support and one expects her to soon get off the mark. She has a chance to quickly redeem herself in another fillies’ maiden at the Curragh on Sunday.
Cork bore witness to a strong early season maiden over five furlongs, won by O’Callaghan’s accomplished colt Crispy Cat. According to the trainer he is likely to be aimed at the Listed First Flyer Stakes at the Curragh followed by a tilt at Royal Ascot. With Beauty Crescent (Ger Lyons) and Polar Bear (Jessica Harrington) immediately in-behind, it seems highly likely all three will go on to better things.
The same can be said of fourth-placed Borletti, who finished just two-lengths behind the winner despite getting caught in something of a pocket and showing signs of immaturity. Andrew Slattery’s Kodiac colt was given an easy time of it once the game was up, but finished strongly, some four lengths clear of the next home, Holdonfordearlife.
Being out of Slattery’s Listed winning mare Planchart, Borletti is a half-brother to two-year-old winner Jimi Hendrix (New Bay), a colt who broke his maiden on the second time of asking for Ralph Beckett. The same could be expected of Borletti, for here was a race in which any one of the first four home could have conceivably won on the day.
David Evans’ Democracy Dilemma received plenty of support in novice company at Windsor, eventually going off 3/1 second favourite. This comes as little surprise given the yard had won this race twice previously and the colt himself - a son of Cotai Glory - is a half-brother to winners Angel Alexander, Mighty Spirit, Little Earl and Super Major.
A £72,000 yearling, Democracy Dilemma ran a strange race having led briefly before hanging, being headed and appearing to drop away. He then rallied late to finish a close third behind winner Michaela's Boy and the much-fancied Kaasib. He could not fail to catch the eye and must be followed.
Image: Softeis, CC BY-SA 3.0 <http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/>, via Wikimedia Commons