Wednesday evening promises to be an exciting one with competitive All-Weather racing at Southwell, broadcast live on Sky Sports Racing. The Come Racing For Free 18th June Novice Stakes is set to be a thrilling contest, featuring three inexperienced yet promising colts.
Goldinthesea, having recently transferred from Joseph O'Brien's stable to Ed Bethell's, is an intriguing contender. His impressive performance at Dundalk in January has been further bolstered by the third-place finisher's subsequent win, suggesting a potentially fruitful future for this No Nay Never son under new management.
Penny Time, trained by Hugo Palmer, is another exciting prospect, having convincingly won at Southwell last month and aiming for his third consecutive victory. Owen Burrows' Sassicaia, with only one previous outing where he emerged victorious at Wolverhampton in December, remains an unknown quantity with considerable potential for growth. Debutant Shadow Boxer, representing Victorious Forever and purchased for €520,000, will have his market value determined soon.
For the latest in racing news, interviews, and features, stay updated on your mobile device. Another highlight of the evening is the Ladies Day Sunday 16th August Fillies' Handicap, where three recent winners face off. Cool Molly, with a three-pound increase after her win in the All-Weather Vase Fillies' Handicap at Lingfield 12 days ago, commands respect with her third career win and two victories in her last three starts.
Vencedora, carrying the renowned Sheikh Mohammed Obaid colors and trained by Karl Burke, has a distinct profile as a lightly raced and relatively unexposed filly, making her first appearance of the season after securing her maiden win at Newmarket in September. Rogue Citation, representing The Rogues Gallery, shares a similar profile with Vencedora, having only run twice, with her sole win coming in her last outing here in October. It will be fascinating to observe how these fillies have wintered and whether they can compete against the race-fit Cool Molly. The evening concludes with Seven Fires attempting to achieve a hat-trick in the Summer Socials At Southwell Racecourse Fillies' Handicap on her fifth career start.
Having demonstrated versatility in her two wins at Newcastle, by leading from the front on debut in February and coming from behind to win last month over five furlongs, she now steps back up to six furlongs and is expected to be a formidable opponent. Top-rated Barefoot Beach, with only two starts under her belt, seeks to return to winning form after a narrow defeat at Kempton, having shown significant promise with a win over the same track and distance on her debut last September. Zighy, having finally broken her maiden, could yet prove to be even better, given her consistent performance of not finishing outside the top three in all five of her starts.
Additional racing action includes Betelgeuse aiming for another course and distance win at 6:30 at Southwell, and notable jockeys Zac Purton, Harry Bentley, Hugh Bowman, and Andrea Atzeni in action at Happy Valley.