Take Balding’s Secret Hint each-way in Fillies and Mares Final
Published:
Harry Preston | March 22, 2016
All Weather Finals day this Good Friday at Lingfield opens with the fairer sex, as four-year-old Mares and Fillies and above compete for the £150k prize pool. Level weighting to both types of horse could also be significant…
William Haggas’ Cold As Ice is firmly fancied and odds-on at 4/5 with Coral to give the Newmarket handler a winning start to the meeting.
A dual Grade 2 winner in South Africa, Cold As Ice has the most progressive profile of the entrants and that, coupled with her being 4lb clear on ratings at a mark of 107, makes her an attractive proposition.
Cold As Ice looks well-equipped to outclass the Mares and Fillies field, then, yet she failed to replicate her Southern Hemisphere form on her British debut at Wolverhampton in November.
Cold As Ice a rock solid favourite
Although travelling noticeably well, Cold As Ice found little for pressure, finishing third behind Lamar and the re-opposing Alfrajer. This could raise doubt to the point where she is a false favourite for Lingfield.
Haggas was undeterred by this bow in Britain, however, and Cold As Ice bounced back by winning a hot Conditions race at Chelmsford City – beating Stuart Williams gelding Realize
This form has a good, solid look to it, and is a fairer reflection on Cold As Ice. Realize has come out and won well twice since, including off a 101 rating in a warm Lingfield handicap.
Much will depend on what stall Cold As Ice gets in, and a favourable draw would go further in justifying her odds-on favourite status for the AW Mares and Fillies Final.
Volunteer has made her Point for Channon
Volunteer Point, from Mick Channon’s yard, will run Cold As Ice closest, if the current Lingfield betting is any indicator. She has 5lb to find on the favourite, however.
Beating Lamar and Godolphin-owned My Call in a fast track qualifier at Chelmsford, Volunteer Point then delivered at the AW Finals venue despite a muddling pace to proceedings.
Marco Botti’s aforementioned Alfajer cannot be discounted either, having beaten Cold As Ice as noted above and because of her handler’s fine all weather record. This filly is little lacking in scope, but has secured the services of Andrea Atzeni in the saddle.
Hint helpful to each-way punters, but no Secret to Balding
Trained by Andrew Balding, she may have seemed disappointing on her previous outings and was beaten more than seven lengths by Volunteer Point last time; however, this is a horse for the spring and autumn.
Given a good break by Balding and granted a favourable draw, Secret Hint can recapture her promising form from earlier in the season.
Finishing a one-length behind Mistrusting, who won a listed race rated 104 in October 2015, and just a neck shy of Dusky Queen (now rated 105), Secret Hint is once again piloted by familiar face Oisin Murphy.
Selections
Forecast – Cold as Ice / Secret Hint
Each way – Secret Hint
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