Three interesting horses to keep an eye on at tonight's meetings
Photographer
5.10 Newcastle
John Gosden’s willingness to run good horses on the all-weather at Newcastle has been well documented. Last season’s superstar filly Enable ran there two years ago and one-time Guineas hope Without Parole made his debut at the track back in December. Today it is the turn of Dante and Derby entry Photographer, who proved he handles the all-weather on debut at Chelmsford. He is Gosden’s only runner and Rab Havlin’s only ride. Make of that what you will.
Pakora
5.20 Cork
Much has been made of Willie Mullins’ and Gordon Elliott’s domination of the Irish jumping scene after Herculean efforts last season, but while Elliott saddles three tonight at Cork Mullins sends only one. That horse is Pakora, who runs in the mares' maiden hurdle, and there are some familiar factors that mean she could well be smarter than average. She was bought privately by the Mullins team from their favoured market, France, where she raced on the Flat and was good enough to finish second in a Listed race at Toulouse. She races in the Melon/Al Boum Photo silks and given the trainer's overwhelming success with similar sorts is certainly one to watch.
Shane Donohoe has been a frequent enough visitor across the Irish Sea to Britain since saddling six winners from just 22 runners in 2009. In 2016, however, he had just three runners and last year he didn't travel across at all, so it is significant he is back. Independence Day won on his first start of 2018 when very well backed at Chelmsford and he has every chance of taking his record this year to two from two, despite a 13lb rise for that three-and-a-half-length success. His new mark of 67 is still some way below a peak figure of 100, back in 2016, but after returning to winning ways he can start a sequence.
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- Join Racing Post Members' Club for the very best in racing journalism - including the award-winning Patrick Mullins
- Join the same team as Ryan Moore, Harry Cobden and other top jockeys with 50% off Racing Post Members' Club
- Racing Post Members' Club: 50% off your first three months
- 'It’s really exciting we can connect Wentworth's story to Stubbs' - last chance to catch master painter's homecoming
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