Night Raider (Karl Burke)
I was at Southwell when Night Raider bolted up over 7f in March. I thought he was very impressive, and it was great to see him back up his debut win. He seems very straightforward, and he looks like he has a lovely attitude. I see he has an entry in the 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket this weekend, so it will be interesting to see if Karl Burke decides to run him there.
City Of Troy (Aidan O’Brien)
He is a very exciting prospect for Aidan O’Brien, and he is undefeated after winning all of his three starts last year. I thought his win in the Dewhurst Stakes at Newmarket was very special. The son of Justify looks unphased by any sort of ground after winning on good and soft. With entries in 2,000 Guineas and The Epsom Derby, it looks like he could be in for a big season in the Classics.
Folgaria (Marco Botti)
I think she surprised a few people when she won the Fred Darling at Newbury. It was her first run for Marco Botti after previously being trained in Italy. As a juvenile, she won all her starts in Italy over a variety of different distances, which included a Group 3. It’s always hard to translate that form coming over to the UK, but with a win now under her belt for Marco, I think she could be an exciting horse for him this season.
Cowardofthecounty (Joseph O’Brien)
Cowardofthecounty caught my eye when I was watching the racing at the Curragh. He appeared to win a shade cosily and I think he could be a top-class juvenile this season. He’s entered in the Redcar Trophy later in the year, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he aimed him in better races than that. It might just be possible we see him at Royal Ascot.
Hot To Dot (Gemma Tutty)
This nice young filly won when I was at Pontefract last week on very testing ground. Even though it was her racecourse debut, I thought she pulled away from her rivals in good style, and she looks progressive. Gemma has done very well since taking out her training licence and it would be nice if this filly ended up being a little something special for her.