Jane Mangan’s William Hill Blog: This Saturday’s racing could be Remarquee-ble

Lingfield, Saturday

Where better to start my Saturday selections than the Oaks Trial (2.25pm)? The Gosden team have a very strong bunch of three-year-old fillies this season and they won this race with Anapurna in 2019, who went on to win the Epsom Classic. The manner in which Danielle won at Wetherby by 12 lengths shows that she could be a very high-class three-year-old. This is a decent race but I think this filly could be top drawer.

The Lingfield Derby Trial (3.00pm), has attracted a field of nine runners. Of course, Aidan O’Brien won this in 2019 with Anthony Van Dyck, who followed that up at Epsom, and he has a pair of representatives here, but I’m going to go for an outsider at an each-way price, and that’s Salamanca for Rossa Ryan and Jane Chapple-Hyam. He was too keen on his seasonal debut at Newmarket last month so will be coming here as a maiden flying under the radar, but I thought that, despite this, he ran quite an extraordinarily good race to have burnt as much energy as he did in the first half of the 10 furlongs and still only be beaten a short head. I think he should improve for that, he’s by the Derby winner Sea The Stars and, if he learns to settle, he could be very smart indeed.

The Chartwell Fillies’ Stakes (3.35pm) is the perfect opportunity for Remarquee to get back to winning ways. She’s yet to win since an impressive display twelve months ago in the Group Three Fred Darling at Newbury but ran some good races in defeat having finished second to Tahiyra in the Coronation Stakes and second to Nashwa in the Falmouth. I think Remarquee will probably be better as a four-year-old, having had a wind operation. Seven furlongs is likely her optimum trip and I don’t think Ralph Beckett could have found a better opportunity for her to regain winning ways and begin what could be a very productive season.

Cork, Saturday

The 2.50pm at Cork is a rated novices’ hurdle and I think the bottom filly, Barrier, a sister to Pied Piper, is favourably treated here. She has a claiming rider taking three pounds off and she’s rated 111, yet she’s receiving weight all around. Winning at Tramore the last day should have given her a lot of confidence and she’s run some good races in defeat this winter on unsuitably heavy ground. Given that she is a Flat-bred filly, the drying ground should enhance her chances.

In the maiden hurdle (4.30pm), I’m going to go for an each-way shout; Toor Khov for Mags Flynn and Liam Quinlan. He should be a good each-way price because we’ve two or three highly-rated maidens in here, but I was impressed by what I saw of him at Thurles and latterly at Tipperary and I think he’s well up to winning a maiden.

Leopardstown, Sunday

I’m looking at the Amethyst Stakes (3.00pm) on Sunday, and Yosemite Valley impressed me at the Curragh back in April with how well he disposed of a high class filly in Jumbly. I think his connections are hoping that he could develop into a Group One calibre horse this year and the step up to a mile shouldn’t be an issue. He’s now a four-year-old who looked much improved on his seasonal debut and I hope he can be difficult to beat here.