The Flat turf racing season continues its stop-start progress at Nottingham on Wednesday with an interesting seven-race card.
It’s always a fascinating time of year to see which horses have improved over the winter and John Gosden will be hoping that Forever Now has done exactly that. He lines up in the Barry Hills Further Flight Stakes at 3.40, a listed race over a mile and three-quarters.
I followed him with interest last season after he caught my eye when finishing second at Newmarket in May. He was very impressive when sauntering to an eight-length win in his maiden at Doncaster next time but only scrambled home in the March Stakes at Goodwood in September.
He was only considered to be Gosden’s second string in the St Leger but he ran a fine race. He led between the two furlong and furlong markers before fading into sixth behind Kingston Hill and Romsdal. The latter came out and won impressively on the all-weather recently and Windshear (fourth) won at Doncaster last week.
The best of the opposition looks to be Island Remede who ran on well behind Windshear last week while Cinnilla improved throughout the season for Ralph Beckett. Godolphin are represented by Blue Rambler who is something of an unknown quantity after one moderate start in Britain. Forever Now should take this on the way to better things.
Gosden also saddles the favourite in the following handicap with Sacred Act. He won over course and distance last year and looked a very exciting prospect. He was confidently backed to win off a mark of 90 at Sandown next time but never looked happy at any stage and finished fifth. Presumably something was amiss and it will be interesting to see how he goes off the same mark.
It’s a question of balancing potential against proven form in this one and I just favour the Doncaster third, Youartisonfire. He had no answer to Chatez in the closing stages of the Spring Mile but it was still a decent effort. He has run his best races at Haydock in the past and this is a similar galloping track. He should go well under Silvestre De Sousa and looks good each-way value at 5-1.
There are several other interesting races on the card and Gosden has Alkawn in the opener and Waady in the sprint, both ridden by Paul Hanagan. There could also be some improvers in the closing three-year-old handicap with the weights headed by Luca Cumani’s Noro Lim.
Forever Now 3.40 Nottingham @11-8 Bet365
Youartisonfire 4.10 Nottingham @5-1 BetVictor (each-way)
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