2 minutes Barry Hill has another NAP of the day, from Lingfield.
3.15 LINGFIELD
BetWright Bet The Wright Way Nursery Handicap
SPIRIT STAR - 11/4
SPIRIT STAR looks ready to get off the mark at the fifth time of asking when she lines up in the five-furlong nursery at Lingfield on Tuesday. Trained by Marco Botti, this two-year-old daughter of Territories didn't show much in her first three starts, which earned her a low opening handicap mark of just 47. But there were definite signs of life on her most recent outing at Yarmouth earlier this month.
That was her first try in handicap company and she shaped much better than the bare result suggests. Finishing fourth of five, she was beaten just over two lengths by Rajak, a Michael Bell-trained colt who has since followed up at Bath off a six-pound higher mark. That gives the form a healthy look.
Reopposing here is Redditizio, who finished second in that same Yarmouth contest and is a lot shorter in the market this time around. But on closer inspection, that might not be justified. Spirit Star is now a pound better off at the weights and looked the more progressive type that day, suggesting she has every chance of turning the tables.
Brightling, who was well held behind Rajak last time, also takes her chance again. While she has been dropped three pounds and should enjoy the cut in the ground, she still has something to prove against the form horses.
Dandy Orton for Ollie Sangster is harder to fancy. He’s beaten just two rivals in three starts and arrives with a trainer on a 26-day winless run. He’s recently been gelded and is fitted with first-time blinkers, which could spark something, but it's asking a lot based on what we've seen so far.
It’s even tougher to warm to Could Be The Move, who has shown next to nothing and now wears a tongue-tie, hood and cheekpieces. That combination doesn’t scream confidence and feels like a last-ditch attempt to find improvement.
Back to the selection, Spirit Star looks like a filly who might just be about to click. She’s racing off a very workable mark and still has room to improve, particularly if she continues to mature mentally. There’s a suggestion she’s always been considered capable at home too, given she holds an entry in the £100,000 Auction Stakes at Newmarket in August. That entry may seem ambitious right now, but it does offer an insight into how she was once regarded.
