Hot To Trot: Golden autumn for Walker

Flat trainer: Ed Walker

Upper Lambourn trainer Ed Walker has had his string in top form over the last month or so and has plenty of chances of further success in the coming days. August ended well for the yard with the filly Royal Intervention supplementing her Summer Stakes win at York the previous month by winning Germany’s top sprint, the Goldene Peitsche at Baden-Baden. The winners have continued flowing in September, with the score for the month already standing at eleven.

A recent contributor to that total is Inflamed who was successful in a nursery at Kempton last week under a good ride from Oisin Murphy, and the same rider is jocked up for a potential follow-up bid under a penalty over the same course and distance on Monday evening. The stable also has Grimsthorpe Castle in the same contest, as well as in another nursery at Redcar on Wednesday. For a very well-bred colt (by Dawn Approach out of a sister to Nathaniel), he’ll be starting his handicapping career at a very modest level and will be suited by stepping up to a mile. Stormbomber has been placed in his last four starts but the combination of a step up in trip and the assistance of the champion jockey elect would give him a chance of getting his head in front in the ten-furlong handicap at Lingfield on Tuesday. Verify got off the mark in good style in a handicap at Windsor earlier in the month, and the progressive three-year-old would be of interest if taking up either of his engagements at Newcastle or Redcar on Wednesday.

Jumps trainer: Keith Dalgleish

Keith Dalgleish has been having a busy week at the biggest Flat meeting at his local track, Ayr, while last month Dalgleish celebrated a winner at the Ebor meeting when the smart gelding What’s The Story landed a valuable mile handicap at York. However, it’s the red-hot form of the dual-purpose yard’s jumpers which is taking the eye at the moment, with 10 winners from 25 runners over jumps since the middle of August, all of them ridden by Brian Hughes.

Amalfi Doug racks up a fourth win here at Perth, striking in the ROA Rewards Members Handicap Chase under Brian Hughes for @DalgleishRacing 👏 pic.twitter.com/ECEEiUDSIk

— Perth Racecourse (@PerthRacecourse) 9 September 2019

Perth is one of the tracks where Dalgleish has a good record and the stable looks sure to be represented at the course’s meeting next week. Amalfi Doug has run nowhere else since joining the yard and has been enjoying a tremendous season there, winning four times and finishing second in his other two starts. His first two wins came over hurdles, but he’s proven much better back over fences lately and could bid for a hat-trick in the three-mile handicap on Wednesday after making all with a fluent round of jumping on his latest visit earlier in the month. Of the stable’s other possibles on the card, the most interesting could be Never Be Enough in the mares novices’ hurdle. She’s useful on the Flat, and was a cosy winner of a maiden at Perth on her hurdling debut last month. Although beaten since on the Flat, she’s capable of following up back over hurdles under a penalty.  

Under the radar: Marcus Tregoning

Marcus Tregoning must be looking forward to getting the Greenham winner Mohaather back on the racecourse this autumn. The colt returned to training last month after sustaining an injury in the spring which prevented him from contesting the 2000 Guineas, and while Mohaather has been on the side-lines, the likes of Great Scot and Hello Youmzain, who reached the frame behind him, have been enjoying successful seasons.

Meanwhile, the rest of the Tregoning string is hitting form ahead of Mohaather’s expected return, and a good spell in August, which included a win at the Shergar Cup for the useful handicapper Power of Darkness and a promising win at Salisbury for Impressor who contests the Mill Reef Stakes this weekend, has continued into September with two wins and five placed horses from just nine runners. Among those who will be bidding to maintain the run of form in the coming week is the three-year-old filly Monaafasah who has entries in novice events at Leicester on Monday and Beverley on Tuesday. She’s been off for a while herself, last seen winning a maiden at Bath at the end of June by seven lengths from a subsequent winner. That was just her second start, and she can improve again. Another potentially interesting runner is Barca in the mile and three-quarter handicap at Chelmsford on Tuesday evening. He won over two miles at the same track last month and was a creditable third over the same course and distance last time whilst giving the impression this slightly shorter trip should suit him at least as well.