AETNA
5yo b m (/101301-5)
(Indesatchel - On The Brink)
Trainer: Mick Easterby
Merits her place on this list for the second year running. She needs plenty of cut in the ground to be seen at her best, and will do her winning in early and late season contests. Impressive when gaining her third win of 2014 in a listed event at Doncaster in November, she showed that ability was intact despite meeting defeat at Cork early this month, travelling best of all only to find her path repeatedly blocked. There are plenty of listed and Group 3 contests for her to plunder and she should reward her supporters again when the ground eases.
AMERICAN HOPE
4yo b g ((71/2234620-27)
(Lemon Drop Kid - Cedrat)
Trainer: Mike Murphy
American Hope was rather unlucky not to plunder a big prize last year, making the frame on numerous occasions, and winning his race on the wrong side of the track at Royal Ascot. He’s already been beaten twice this season, but gave the impression he didn’t enjoy Newmarket last time. His headstrong tendencies mean that he tends to be seen to best effect in big fields and/or on a straight track. It’s probably no coincidence that his best efforts last year came at Ascot, and he should prove equally as effective at six furlongs as he is at seven, meaning races like the Victoria Cup and Wokingham will be on his agenda. He’s still only won a maiden and he’s bound to have some frustrations to deal with again, given how competitive his target races are, but that also means that a single win will see big dividends, and there remains the prospect of a breakthrough at pattern level.
BIG ORANGE
4yo b g ((46/214115-)
(Duke Of Marmalade - Miss Brown To You)
Trainer: Michael Bell
Hugely progressive as a three-year-old, and with the size to suggest he’ll get better again with another winter under his belt, Big Orange looks capable of making the transition to Cup horse this term. Winner of a listed race at Ascot, he also showed remarkable athleticism for such a big unit to score at Chester and either the Duke of York or the Ormonde Stakes would be suitable starting points for Michael Bell’s gelding. Likes to point his toe in front and shouldn’t be short of opportunities in a division which can lack depth.
FOREVER POPULAR
3yo b or br f (2)
(Dynaformer - Pussycat Doll)
Trainer: William Haggas
Beautifully bred on classical US lines, Forever Popular looked unlucky not to make a winning debut at Newbury recently, but after displaying initial signs of inexperience, she put her head down in taking style to grab second place behind a useful and experienced winner. That experience will stand to her, and this Oaks and Irish Oaks entry will find a maiden a formality before taking the step up to pattern company. It’s hard to gauge how good she could be but she is in excellent hands and will be placed to best advantage.
GOLDEN HORN
3yo b c (1-1)
(Cape Cross - Fleche D’Or)
Trainer: John Gosden
Last year’s juvenile crop in Britain was not a vintage one and there must be a strong possibility that the best of the current generation of three-year-olds will be late developers, of which Golden Horn is as exciting as any. Winner of a Newmarket maiden in October, he made a bigger impression than one or two of the big race winners at that meeting, and confirmed all the positives from that debut when landing the Feilden Stakes at the same venue earlier this month, again showing a sharp turn of foot to come from off the pace and win with a bit to spare. That looked a warm enough renewal and he looks well worth a place in the Dante. He doesn’t hold a Derby entry but might well make his presence felt at that level with a mile and a quarter looking his optimum trip at this early stage.
MECCA’S ANGEL
4yo gr f (411224/11511-)
(Dark Angel - Folga)
Trainer: Michael Dods
Another sprinting filly, and there might be a worry that she and Aetna might clash throughout the season, but likeable as Mick Easterby’s charge is, Mecca’s Angel is cut from different cloth and is a speedball capable of upsetting the very best over the minimum trip. She missed most of last summer and might have been expected to find the ground quick enough at the St Leger meeting but was hugely impressive there and again on softer ground at Newbury. She needs to get her toe in and might find better opportunities in France than on home soil but a race like the Nunthorpe at York should prove right up her street and she is an exciting talent provided she trains on.
MUTHMIR
5yo b g (4215/2151-)
(Invincible Spirit - Fairy Of The Night)
Trainer: William Haggas
Put up one of the most taking displays by a sprinter all season when winning the Portland Handicap at Doncaster despite being halted in his tracks when first making his move. The way he quickened for a second time was remarkable and shows him to be a top-class sprinter in the making. Will presumably start off in the Duke of York Stakes and should take plenty of beating given quick ground. An unseasonably wet summer saw him miss several engagements last term but he quickly made up for lost time and remains open to improvement after just eight lifetime starts.
PAMONA
3yo b f (21-)
(Duke Of Marmalade - Palanca)
Trainer: Luca Cumani
Winner of her second start in maidens last October, Pamona took the eye both in the paddock and in the race itself, powering clear of her rivals as she met the rising ground, without coming under undue pressure to do so, and this daughter of Duke of Marmalade still has a bit of filling out to do. She is entered in both the Guineas and the Oaks but it’s the latter which would appear the more logical aim, with a run in one of the recognised trials a sensible starting point for the season. Her win came on dead ground but she handled a quick surface on her debut and is a notably fluent mover.
THE GREY GATSBY
4yo gr c (1227/2011621-2)
(Mastercraftsman - Marie Vison)
Trainer: Kevin Ryan
Few horses took as long to be appreciated as The Grey Gatsby last season and his win in the Prix du Jockey Club was largely ignored by the cognoscenti so that he was allowed to go off at big odds in Group 1 events at York and Leopardstown subsequently. He’s still regarded as lucky to have beaten Australia in the Irish Champion Stakes but is such an honest and straightforward mount that he’s certain to add to his tally. No match for Solow in Dubai, he will appreciate a return to further and his ideal race would be the Juddmonte International at York in August.
TRIPLE CHOCOLATE
5yo b g (14/864481114-18)
(Danehill Dancer - Enticing)
Trainer: Roger Ingram
I’ve already expressed my liking for this strapping sort in print, and while he was a disappointment when tipped here a few weeks ago, he got no sort of run in a messy race at Kempton and is better judged on last season’s progressive form. Despite several wins at sprint trips in 2014, he remains on a workable mark and his unfashionable connections should again ensure he’s sent off at generous odds on occasions this time around. A thoroughly likeable sort who should be as effective at seven furlongs as shorter, he will give us plenty of fun through the summer months.