Sandown 15:05
This is a good looking Listed race for two-year-olds, with some potentially top class performers in the field.
So Hi Society, trained by Archie Watson, is one of the more experienced runners in the field, having been involved in four races so far in his career. This Society Rock filly was niggled along very early into the race last time out at Newmarket in the Duchess of Cambridge Stakes (Group 2), but there is a chance she was outpaced in what was a very hot contest. She was far from disgraced, however, and the drop down in class together with the step up in distance means she is not hard to fancy going well here today. Watson has also been in very good form over the past month or so, getting plenty of winners at a nice strike rate.
Mark Johnston is always a trainer to look out for in these two-year-old races, and he saddles the unbeaten Cape Bunting in this. She has raced in a couple of novice stakes at Newmarket and Musselburgh so far, both of which she looks very impressive and won easily. This is a big step up for her, but she is well bred and I wouldn't expect today's softer conditions to inconvenience her too much. Her sire, Cape Cross, has an excellent record with two-year-olds, and it would be no surprise to see her improve again and run a big race.
Richard Hannon has three runners in the race and it's not easy to split them. Tajaanus won a novice stakes at Newmarket before finishing mid division (and one place ahead of stablemate Campion) in a Listed race at the same course. I get the feeling that she will have needed to have improved quite a bit if she is going to trouble a few of these here today, however, having only had the two races to date that is not impossible, especially if she breaks away from the stalls a lot better this time.
The same can't necessarily be said about Campion, who has had five runs already, and looked a lot more comfortable on the firmer ground when winning at Bath. That was over five furlongs and she tries this distance for the first time today, which I think may be stretching her stamina.
Capomento has only had the one run to date, winning a novice stakes over six furlongs at Ripon. Tom Dascombe has a useful record with this type of horse, however, and he obviously thinks a lot of her given he has thrown her straight into Listed company.
The third Hannon runner is Billesdon Rock, and she was off the mark at the fourth time of asking last time out on the all weather at Kempton. She was good enough to finish with three parts of a length to the highly thought of Nyaleti prior to that at Salisbury, and it will be interesting to see if the slower turf ground brings out an improvement in her.
Today's selection
Cape Bunting - 2 points at 11/4