Saturday's selections didn't perform too badly, but we did walk away with no wins.
Imperial Saint ran well from the front but didn't have the stamina to keep going over the last fences. Storming George missed the places by one, and Act Of Authority wasn't helped by the starter, who gave the race one of the worst starts I've ever seen. He probably wouldn't have been close anyway, as he didn't stay on as strong as I was hoping.
Rizzel's tips
Firebird 6/1 – Cork 3.25
I tipped up Firebird late into last flat season at this track in a Grade 3 for fillies, and I thought she was given a horrendous ride by Billy Lee, so I'm going to give her another shot in this race on her seasonal reappearance.
On ratings, my filly has it all to do against quite a few who are higher rated than her, but I am a huge fan of Paddy Twomey, especially with fillies and he does a tremendous job when they get older and get more experience. This horse is 2/5 on turf, and was ultra-impressive on her second and third start, one coming over today's C&D. She definitely should have won the Grade 3 race at Naas, and she recorded an RPR of 101 for that, so now she has had more time to mature and physically improve, she could definitely be up to today's challenge.
It is a tad concerning that Billy Lee is not on board my selection and has opted to ride King Cuan, especially with that horse being off the track for 539 days, but given he messed up on her last time out, a change of jockey might not be the worst thing to happen.
The form of her second at Naas looks solid form, and enough for her to be competitive in a race like this. The 3rd has finished 2nd and 3rd in two Grade 2s in America last September and October.
GambleAware