CONSISTENT filly Garter can secure a third win since October when she rocks up at Kempton this afternoon.
Charlie Hills’ four-year-old has been in fine fettle on the all-weather, having stated her intentions with a cool course-and-distance success four months ago.
Garter continued her rise with another gutsy success at Lingfield in November and then lost barely a smidgen in defeat when a narrow runner-up at Kempton in December.
Next up for the daughter of Fastnet Storm was a return to Lingfield for a seven-furlong fillies’ handicap a week ago. Garter came fast and late in a fair race for the prize-money, but she was compromised late on after encountering traffic problems.
Whether she would have improved upon her third-placed finish behind Simply Me is debatable, but that good run at least served notice of her vitality.
Garter faces seven rivals, most of whom are either out of form or exposed, in a seven-furlong fillies’ handicap in Sunbury. It would be a bit of a surprise if she did not go very close in the hands of Callum Shepherd, who again claims a handy 3lb.
Keep close tabs on Beauchamp Opal in the opening mile handicap.
Trained in Newmarket by Charlie Fellowes, this three-year-old daughter of Pastoral Pursuits was a bit of an eyecatcher over course and distance on January 6.
Held up from well off the pace, Stevie Donohoe and his partner made up plenty of lground at the death to finish third, beaten under three lengths by Dangerous Ends.
Go George Go’s winning run at Newcastle is unlikely to end in the Betway Handicap. Alan Swinbank’s grey has claimed four consecutive victories over this mile-and-a-half trip and is clearly still improving.
Some Are Lucky can kick on in the HAC Pipeline Supplies Chase at Leicester. The six-year-old was pretty consistent over hurdles for Tom George, but chasing looks more of his game judged by his Newbury debut on New Year’s Eve.
Some Are Lucky jumped convincingly in a novices’ limited handicap chase, but could not quite go through with his effort. He still fared promisingly in third, beaten just a length-and-a-quarter by the useful Belami Des Pictons.
Some Are Lucky runs here off a revised mark of 132, but he looks quite a tidy horse.
IRISH NEWS YANKEE
Nap: Garter (3.50: Kempton)
Double: Beauchamp Opal (2.20: Kempton)
Treble: Go George Go (4.25: Newcastle)
Yankee: Some Are Lucky (3.40: Leicester)
