It was a strange day, as Haydock had half of its races ruled off due to safety issues with the ground,
One of the selections was a no-runner due to the ground, but Venetian Sun ran and won in the style of a true Group 1 sprinter.
The other runner at York was far too keen for Danny Tudhope, which gave him no chance of winning.
Prevalence 3/1 (1pt) – Curragh 2.45
The odds haven't been released for Prevalence, but I'd like to think she'll be decent odds for this race. Ger Lyons' lightly raced filly has a good pedigree, so she should be capable of being better than her handicap mark of 83.
Her full sister, Juncture, came for this race in 2022 and finished second off a mark of 98. Her sister had shown more by the time she raced in this race, but she also had many more races to showcase her talents. Based on how she ran last time out, it looks like the extra furlong should be right up her street.
My main concern is that she was quite keen at the Curragh last time out, but I'm going to put that down to being inexperienced, and it was her first run of the season. She came under pressure, and it didn't look like she was going to figure it out, but she found a second wind and should've finished second. She found a minor inconvenience inside the final furlong and was eased by the jockey, and it looked like the horse had a fair bit left to give.
Nicola Burns keeps the ride and removes a very handy 5lbs.
One Look 11/4 (1pt) – Curragh 3.20
I was on City Of Memphis last time out at Leopardstown, and I thought she was good value at the prices, but she didn't win in the manner I thought she would. As a result, I am taking her on with her stablemate, One Look.
The Curragh brings the best out of One Look, so she is always worth a second look after throwing up poor runs on her previous efforts elsewhere. She was second in this race last year, in what looks like a stronger renewal. Porta Fortuna was the winner of this race twelve months ago, and she was a multiple Group 1 winner heading into it.
My fancy might lack the pace, but she stays further. I'd really like to see James Doyle force the pace or ensure that the leaders are going an honest gallop. If she is positioned prominently, I can see her grinding this out and plugging on to break the hearts of the others.
Seagulls Eleven 13/8 (1.5pt) – Longchamp 3.25
Once again, the odds haven't been compiled for Longchamp. I get the feeling that Seagulls Eleven will the favourite, but I don't think he'll be shorter than 2/1.
Based on what we know, it looked like a nice opportunity for Seagulls Eleven to land an okay pot on his journey to France for Hugo Palmer. Christophe Soumillon is booked for the ride, which is always a huge positive around this track.
His best form of last year puts him in prime contention for this, and the second to Opera Ballo now looks very strong. He was also ahead of the King Of Cities that day, who is a good yardstick. He seems to be versatile on any ground, and he has race fitness on his side, after a solid second at Saint-Cloud at the start of the month.
GambleAware