What a week of racing we have just experienced.
Goodwood and Galway provided wall-to-wall action, and with the final two The Top Three articles produced a profit, so the form book reads well heading into this weekend.
When we all agree…
MONSIEUR KODI kicks off the day with a 5/1 win (with a rule 4 to come) for @BestOfBetsUK 😃
Looks tough work out there – jockeys coming away saying it’s riding on the soft/heavy side.#QGF
pic.twitter.com/8U6Bu9EamE https://t.co/D9iqMgs1v9
— Ash Symonds Journalism (@ASymondsJourno) August 5, 2023
With this in mind, here are the ante-post plays for Shergar Cup weekend.
Fahey’s filly Miles ahead
Firstly, the strongest ante-post position is not at the Shergar Cup – which is a bit of a nightmare to work out at this stage – as MIDNIGHT MILE represents good value in the Group 3 Rose Of Lancaster Stakes at 13/2 with BoyleSports.
The three-year-old by No Nay Never has been steadily improving over the last 14 months since her debut victory at Doncaster over six furlongs in July 2022.
Smart debut! Midnight Mile makes a winning start at @DoncasterRaces for @RichardFahey and @shaw_harrison, beating favourite Royal Dress… pic.twitter.com/IV8xyqUWGz
— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) July 16, 2022
Following a further success at Newmarket, Richard Fahey sent her over to the Breeders’ Cup for the Grade 1 Juvenile Fillies’ Turf, a race she finished a promising fourth in on firm ground.
After her good exploits as a juvenile, there would have been a question about her training on from two to three, however, she soon put that to bed with a pleasing seasonal reappearance in the Group 3 Musidora at York; the winner, Soul Sister, won the Epsom Oaks on her next start before placing in the Group 1 Grand Prix de Paris and the runner-up, Novakai, bolted up last month in the Listed Aphrodite Fillies’ Stakes at Newmarket.
🏇 Soul Sister strikes late with an impressive turn of foot under Frankie Dettori to land the Group 3 Tattersalls Musidora Stakes in emphatic style for John & Thady Gosden 👏@thadygosden @FrankieDettori @Tattersalls1766 pic.twitter.com/E2QMP7WnQP
— York Racecourse (@yorkracecourse) May 17, 2023
Following a blowout at Royal Ascot, she dropped back in trip and grade to the Listed Lyric Fillies’ Stakes where she won eased down to win in a race full of good horses – Queen For You, Mukaddamah, and Golden Lyra to name a few.
That lengthy report on her form shows that with her eight-pound weight-for-age allowance, plus her three-pound fillies allowance, she has a great chance at the weights even though this Saturday will be her toughest task to date with the 113-rated Al Aasy topping the market.
Hopefully, the 15 days between Saturday and her last run will be enough time for her to be at her best because if she is, there is a strong chance of her hitting the frame.
A well-fancied Lane
On Saturday at Goodwood, racing was abandoned after the Stewards’ Cup due to unsuitable ground, meaning that the three concluding contests were scrapped.
This was unfortunate for connections of LIBERTY LANE as their three-year-old was a well-backed favourite to win later on the card.
Official: racing has been abandoned at Goodwood pic.twitter.com/eqXh2ZNj34
— Racing TV (@RacingTV) August 5, 2023
Trainer Karl Burke has taken no time in re-entering the Teofilo three-year-old for another weekend as he is an 8/1 chance for the Haydock’s handicap at 2:25.
Although Burke and Sheikh Mohammed Obaid Al Maktoum also have Poet Master in the race, with good-to-soft/soft ground expected at the northern track, they will want to take advantage of that with Liberty Lane who was a facile winner on soft at Nottingham last season.
We might have seen a nice one here.
Liberty Lane (Teofilo) impresses on racecourse debut and looks a smart prospect for @karl_burke, @CliffordleexLee and Sheikh Mohammed Obaid @NottsRacecourse pic.twitter.com/xJrpxDqDEJ
— Racing TV (@RacingTV) October 5, 2022
Fast-forward to the start of this season and the homebred was the 9/4 favourite on seasonal reappearance at Newmarket in a race where he had to do the donkey work from the front before running into Waipiro, a future Royal Ascot winner.
His seventh in the Dante Stakes at York also showed promise, while his latest start when fourth at Newmarket on his second handicap start was frustrating as he had to make up plenty of ground from the rear.
With an easier route through this weekend and any give in the ground, a mark of 97 is a nice workable area for Liberty Lane to capitalise.
