A busy midweek day of UK and Irish racing includes an evening card on the Polytrack at Kempton Park.
They’ve got a marathon nine-race offering getting underway at 16:30 and coming to a close with the nightcap at 20:30. The feature contest on the evening is the London Sprint Series Final at 19:00, with a top prize of more than £41k to the victor.
We’ve picked out a trio to follow at the Sunbury-on-Thames venue, including Couplet for trainer Harry Eustace as she attempts to banish memories of a couple of disappointing turf runs.
17:30 – Couplet @ 12/1
A touch of forgiveness is required in order to see Couplet scoring in this mile handicap for Harry Eustace and James Doyle but the Zoustar filly might be deserving of that.
She began her career in September last year by winning a Haydock maiden (6f, good to soft) in pleasing fashion and then returned from 293 days in a Doncaster novice (6f, good) in July when finishing second under a penalty, behind a Roger Charlton filly that won against next time at Windsor.
Couplet headed next for Haydock and was favourite for a winning handicap bow but she ran too poorly to be true there, brought home in her own time by James Doyle.
In one start since, she went to Chester (7f, good to soft) and a slow break from the gates saw her anchored in rear and failing to make a telling impression as she eventually finished in midfield. Getting into races from the back on the Roodee has severe drawbacks.
She’s a couple of pounds lower in the ratings for this AW bow and sports a pair of first-time blinkers now upped to a mile and with the in-form Doyle back in the plate, they could make an impact on this Class 5 heat from this mark.
18:00 – Blown Away @ 13/8
Compensation will be on the minds of John & Thady Gosden when Blown Away lines up in the mile nursery that is race four on this Kempton card.
The Invincible Spirit colt has made a promising start to his career, gaining experience in maiden/novice company at Newmarket before scoring on his all-weather bow at Chelmsford over this trip in September.
He couldn’t match that effort back on turf at Newmarket a fortnight later but looked something of an unlucky loser over this course and distance in one run since.
He reared leaving the gates and was in rear from the off but finished very strongly and arguably might have picked up the eventual winner had he got a clear passage.
He can consider himself unfortunate to have gone up 3lb in defeat but the promise was evident and, in first-time blinkers, he can make amends now with Kieran Shoemark taking over from globe-trotting Hollie Doyle in the saddle.
19:00 – Baldomero @ 11/1
The feature contest at Kempton on Wednesday evening is the London Sprint Series Final over six-furlongs and it’s as competitive as it should be for a valuable race of its kind.
Prop Forward must be respected despite the lack of a recent run, while Fresh and Aramis Grey are others of note but perhaps Mick Appleby can take this out with Baldomero.
The ex-Joseph O’Brien-trained gelding ran well here a week ago on his first start since June, making most of the running and just failing to hold on for second in the final strides.
He has backed up that kind of effort off a break before by winning next time and the five-year-old is on a fair mark of 88 right now, given he has gone close from higher marks.
He has been very consistent in cheekpieces previously. They were absent for that run here last week but return now and he’s a contender based on that excellent showing on his first crack at 6f around here last time.