Light Of India
Hello from Newmarket. After some disappointing efforts yesterday, Global Giant kept the flag flying with an excellent second in the Gr.3 Diamond Stakes at Dundalk. While nobody likes coming second, I was pleased he gave his running. He seemed to act well on an AW surface, and think we ran into an improving horse in Hugo Palmer’s Mootasadir. There will be more big days ahead for Global Giant, though it was somewhat ironic to travel all that way only to be beaten by a horse trained next door! Congratulations to Hugo and his team.
Today we send out two runners, one at Haydock and one at Chester.
First to the starter is Light Of India at Haydock in the one-mile Fillies Novice Stakes at 1.30. She is a daughter of Sepoy, and her third dam Blue Duster won today’s Gr.1 feature, the Cheveley Park Stakes, back in 1995. It is something of a second ‘debut’ for the filly, as her intended first run at Newmarket was halted when she took an aversion to the stalls and refused to load. We have been giving her plenty of schooling in the gates at home in the meantime, and hopefully it won’t happen again. She is an outsider in a warm looking contest, but the main objective today is that everything goes smoothly and that she enjoys the experience. Louis Steward takes the mount.
In the 5.30 at Chester we run Dagueneau in the one-mile six-furlong handicap. Even in races of such distance, the draw is important, and a low-draw at Chester is a big advantage. Unfortunately, we were not lucky in that regard, as Dagueneau will break from the widest berth of all in 12. It will be tough from such a wide position, but we have Franny Norton in the plate, a jockey with a virtually unrivalled level of skill at the track. The horse is in good form and continued his progression last time at Chelmsford when beaten a length by Night Story. The handicapper viewed this as an improvement and raised him 2lbs to a mark of 81. Much will depend on race position in the early stages, but I hope he will have an EW chance.
All the best,
Ed.