Hot To Trot: Crisford runner has a big Chance

Flat trainer: Simon Crisford

Those who followed our Royal Ascot edition of Hot To Trot will have been amongst the winners this week, with William Haggas, Mark Johnston and Ian Williams all getting their names on the scoreboard. They were joined by Simon Crisford, who capped a fine run of form with a first success at the Royal meeting courtesy of the exciting A’Ali in the Norfolk Stakes, and he could be a trainer to follow even after the gates at Ascot have slammed shut, with plenty of entries in the coming days.

Another winner for @FrankieDettori as A'Ali wins the Group 2 Norfolk Stakes#RoyalAscot pic.twitter.com/BltL1eiDCD

— ITV Racing (@itvracing) June 20, 2019

Most of the horses featured here hold multiple engagements – with MyTimeform you can get a notification when they are declared – including Chance, who showed much improved form to get off the mark in good style on his handicap debut at Chepstow last month, not fully extended close home to score a shade cosily. He may yet have even more to offer, with a smart pedigree (by Lope de Vega and out of a useful mare) to back up his progressive profile, and a 6 lb higher mark might not be enough to stop him in his follow-up bid, wherever he goes in the coming days

Others to note include Be Prepared and Saroog. The latter has not been seen since disappointing at Newbury last August, but he had been going the right way prior to that, with back-to-back wins at Goodwood at Sandown, and it would be no surprise to see him get back on an upward curve this term. Meanwhile, Be Prepared shaped well amidst greenness when third on his debut at Nottingham last month, and with that form working out well (first two both placed in listed/pattern company subsequently), he can find the necessary progress to make it second-time lucky.

Jumps trainer: David Pipe

David Pipe has his team in good form at present, with Max Do Brazil one of several from the yard who is clearly thriving. Largely disappointing since joining Pipe from France, the switch to fences has seemingly sparked a revival, with the seven-year-old extending his unbeaten record in that sphere to two at Uttoxeter recently – he has the scope for more improvement on this season’s evidence and will remain of interest when appearing next, possibly at Southwell on Monday.

Pipe could also be well represented at Ffos Las on Wednesday, with You Say What an interesting contender if continuing the run he was on when last seen. Indeed, he took advantage of a drop in the weights in good style at Newton Abbot in May, and having run at least as well when second from 9 lb higher at Uttoxeter (beaten just a neck) later that month, there is no reason why he shouldn’t give another good account if lining up next week, though the valuable Summer Cup at Uttoxeter is an alternative option at the end of this month.

Another to note is Dromineer in the concluding bumper on Wednesday’s Ffos Las card. He was gambled on ahead of his debut at Taunton in April and looked a good prospect in justifying that support in dominant fashion, drawing clear from four furlongs out to win by 11 lengths. It’s hard to know what he achieved on that occasion (in a different league to some limited rivals), but he clearly possesses plenty of ability and is one to keep onside with the prospect of even better to come.

Under the radar: Keith Dalgleish

It would be pushing it to say that Keith Dalgleish has been firing in the winners of late, but the yard has been operating at an above-average level, as the graph below demonstrates, and it may be only a matter of time before the team starts converting that into even more wins on the board.

Dalgleish will have been particularly encouraged by the effort of Glasvegas in Tuesday’s Windsor Castle Stakes at Royal Ascot, with the son of Zebedee running a cracker to be beaten just half a length in third – the way he finished his race suggests that he’ll be a serious force when stepping up to six furlongs (and further), open to further improvement with that in mind.

The yard’s highlight of the month, though, will have been the four-timer it enjoyed at Carlisle on Monday, and two of the horses who contributed to that tally could be back in action this week, namely Caustic Love and Beechwood Jude. The former proved better than ever after six months to open her account, forging clear to win by three and three quarter lengths, and a repeat of that form will make her hard to beat if returning to Carlisle under a penalty on Wednesday.

Newcastle on Thursday is where we could see Beechwood Jude next, and he is not one to discount lightly now back in the groove, while stable stalwart What’s The Story is another to look out for on the same card. Admittedly, he was well held in the Hunt Cup at Royal Ascot, but the form of his earlier win at York has received a couple of boosts (second and fourth successful since), and his overall profile suggests that he’ll be back to his best soon enough.