Wednesday 15th September 2010
Setting the scene for Two-Year-Old day
FRIDAY’S card on the Rowley Mile is unique. It is the only day in the racing calendar when every race is restricted to two-year-olds and the best bit about it is that race-goers are just about guaranteed to get a sneak preview of a future star or two.
Year in, year out, class horses emerge from what is very much a stepping-stone afternoon. It’s not just the winners that want watching as their careers unfold but those that are placed - or even the odd one may take the eye when finishing down the field.
The evidence of the day’s worth is substantial. Take last year, for example. Wigmore Hall, a subsequent winner of the John Smith’s Cup at York and second in Grade 1 company in America, opened his account in the MC Seafood Median Auction Maiden.
Society Rock, James Fanshawe’s leading sprinter who was second in the Golden Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot in June was also a winner on the day and those who delve a little deeper will find that William Haggas’s progressive Dever Dream made her debut, an encouraging fifth in the Express Coffee Cars Median Auction Maiden.
There may also be a few future Classic contenders on show with a number of powerful stables represented in all the races. Henry Cecil’s Light Shift won the 2006 renewal of the 1m maiden before going on to Oaks glory the following year. And perhaps the most glowing advert for Two-Year-Old day is the Cecil-trained Midday, who landed the same maiden in 2008 and has since gone on to win five Group 1s including a Breeders’ Cup.
It is not only the maidens on the card that have the potential to unleash Classic clues. In 2007 the David Elsworth-trained Stubbs Art won the MC Seafood and Oriental Foods Nursery before finishing third to Henrythenavigator in the following year’s 2000 Guineas and Sea Lord took second in last year’s 7f Express Cafes Nursery before going on to win a Group 3 in 2010.
The feature is the £100,000 Tattersalls Millions Fillies’ Auction Stakes, leg two of the eight-race Tattersalls Million series worth £1.75million for horses bought at Book 1 of the 2009 Tattersalls October Yearling sale.
A field of 11 speedy fillies will face the starter headed by Khor Sheed, the Luca Cumani-trained daughter of Dubawi who won the totesport.com Empress Stakes on the July Course earlier this summer.
Her opposition include Michael Jarvis’s impressive Nottingham maiden winner Warm Breeze and Masaya, fourth to 1000 Guineas favourite Theyskens' Theory in the Prestige Stakes on her last start.
The Richard Hannon and Richard Hughes combination have carried all before them in juvenile races this year and it looks like Ardour will take the beating in the Express Cafes handicap. The son of Danehill Dancer was a cosy winner of a similar event at Epsom and Hannon once again looks to have found a good opportunity for this colt to complete his hat-trick.
Later in the afternoon look out for the Ralph Beckett-trained Devoted. This well-bred daughter of Dalakhani won in eye-catching fashion on her debut at Goodwood and will bid to retain her unbeaten record in the Norfolk County Ice-Cream & Thai Street Café Nursery.
By Jackie Jarvis
