'Desert' portrays the right 'Image' for division two of the Maiden Fillies' Stakes over seven furlongs of 'soft' Leicester today where locals should enjoy a typical eight-race 'back-end' programme.
Wonderful time of year for backing decent-priced winners with recent form a prime requisite, now the majority of thoroughbreds are well and truly over the top; a visit to any paddock illustrates my point, so many resemble woolly bears.
Fillies especially but it's natural for them go in the their coats and, hopefully, once-raced Desert Image will provide a classic example and romp home under Michael Hills who landed a double at Newmarket last Saturday.
Michael will be fifty in three months but remains very keen, his experience counts for so much in two-year-old races and Desert Image is, apparently, in the first division of Charles Hills' 'Farringdon' stables.
Over a similar distance at Newbury last month Desert Image shaped encouragingly, achieving a 'half-decent' time-handicap mark that wins this-type race nineteen times out of twenty
Hills reckons Desert Image has come on considerably for the experience and so expect Michael to sort out the wheat from the chaff with a positive front-running effort.
A good bet and so is stable-companion Linguine one of only four juveniles for the Conditions stakes over ten furlongs, a colossal distance for two-year-olds but ideal for this stamina-laden Linngari colt.
Although last of three over an extended mile at Epsom nine days ago Linguine was beaten less than two lengths and William Carson reported afterwards he was virtually a passenger as his mount virtually fell down the hill at Tattenham Corner.
Ennistown should also get the trip but others will find it tough, especially if Carson is also ultra-positive and takes no prisoners on Linguine, best bet of the meeting.
It's been a tough first season for Charles but, thankfully, there are plenty of inmates ready to prove their worth and the next few weeks could well be extremely interesting, and rewarding.
By contrast Richard Hannon has been sensational, again!
'The winning machine' has been serviced, oiled and firing throughout 2012 and yet another, Sublimation, should make it fourth time lucky under stable apprentice, William Twiston-Davies, in the Maiden Stakes over a mile at Brighton which is also forecast 'soft!'
William claims 7lbs allowance, Sublimation is 'thrown-in' on the TH and therefore is napped!
Three good, solid bets; show no mercy to bookmakers!
SELECTIONS
R9 (5) Sublimation
R11 (2) Linguine
R20 (3) Desert Image
