A restricted but large field of maiden auction fillies. Four form horses compete against a field of unraced juveniles, the majority cheap purchases.
Anjomarba ran in a poor auction event at Pontefract but shows speed and will certainly be trying here. She looks to have her work cut out to beat Diamond Laura on their Folkestone form. Evans' grey ran a fair race that day and should be wiser for the experience. A high draw could be a big advantage in a field of sixteen runners and Diamond Laura will have a decent opportunity today.
Glen Lass ran quite well in a Newbury maiden on debut and fares better in the weights today. It is still rather difficult to assess the form of her finishing position although I would think a few decent juveniles would come from that race. Being drawn four is not ideal and this may prove an obstacle to her chances.
Azif looks a tiny, compact filly and a bundle of speed. It could be the case that her Newmarket debut was a good effort. Kelleway won this race last year with Beat Seven, a very different horse in size and scope. Connections can only dream of finding another two-year-old as classy as her but Azif looks a battling type although a low draw is far from a positive.
Of the unraced, Kings Of Leo will have her supporters. Hannon is always capable of finding a promising juvenile from a string of some one hundred two-year-olds. Inexperience and a relatively low draw are not ideal starting points but a talented juvenile often has the class to overcome such hindrance. Time will tell what this filly by Compton Place has to offer.
Of the rest Dongola is an interesting runner from the Peter Winkworth stable. He has a good record with his two-year-olds at Windsor although it is rather difficult to understand why Jim Crowley hasn’t taken the ride (he has ridden 8-6 in the last twelve months although generally 8-7) and why Carson was originally booked to ride Restyle at the five-day declarations. These factors temper my enthusiasm although it wouldn’t be the biggest surprise to see this juvenile run well. However, I can’t help but consider that her entry for this race was somewhat revised with regard to original plans.
Bet: 1PT EW DIAMOND LAURA (11/2) 2nd
Anjomarba (NR)
Race review:'Not the most competitive of races and it turned out to be a battle of the form horses with Azif and Diamond Laura nip and tuck to the line. Kelleway's tiny filly showed a good attitude and just managed to hold the second who put down a renewed challenge on the line. The third was a few lengths behind. Hannon's Kings Of Leo looks a very attractive filly and may be capable of better.'