This week, Sky Sports Racing ambassador Hollie Doyle will be in action at Newmarket's Craven meeting, where she is set to ride the promising Derby hopeful Wareeth in the Listed Feilden Stakes. On Wednesday, Doyle's standout ride, Wareeth, trained by Archie Watson, will take a significant step up in class in the Feilden Stakes, a race that will provide valuable insight into the colt's potential. Wareeth, sired by Sea The Stars, previously won his novice race over 1m at Newcastle by an impressive 14 lengths, and the extra furlong in the Feilden Stakes is expected to suit him well.
Although Wareeth does not currently hold a Derby entry, his performance has been delightful since his racecourse debut, and his progress will be closely watched. A key competitor, Aidan O'Brien's Isaac Newton, boasts an edge in experience, having won his maiden at Goodwood and finished fourth in the Group 1 Criterium de Saint-Cloud. Isaac Newton holds a Derby entry and has an official rating of 106, setting a high standard for the other contenders.
Another notable entrant, Poseidon's Warrior, trained by Godolphin, will also be making the leap from novice company, having won over this distance at Goodwood. All three colts are entered in the traditional Derby trial, the Group 2 Dante at York, next month. In other racing news, Heather Main's sprinter Zoulu Chief is expected to deliver a strong performance in the Weatherbys With Venatour Racing Handicap on Wednesday, following his lovely race at Newmarket in the autumn.
Approaching his prime as a five-year-old, Zoulu Chief has been busy on the All-Weather over the winter and looks every bit a 90 horse. Doyle has also ridden work on Jane Chapple-Hyam's outsider Harlequin Breeze and believes she is worth her place in the Group 3 Lanwades Stud Nell Gwyn Stakes on Wednesday.
Despite being a maiden after three starts, Harlequin Breeze has improved with every run and impressed Doyle with her determination over course and distance. Impossible Mission needs to prove himself on turf, receiving weight from all his rivals in the National Stud Handicap on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Des Donovan's debutant Lady Fizz will face fillies from powerful yards over 1m, which may be a minimum trip for her in due course. On Thursday, Doyle will ride Marco Botti's Shergar Cup winner Prince Of India in the Zyn Abernant Stakes, a powerfully built colt who could prove a force in stakes sprints this summer. The race looks wide-open, but Prince Of India should be spot on after a creditable comeback in the Listed Lady Wulfruna Stakes at Wolverhampton last month.
Doyle is expecting big things from Hawk Mountain this year and will be disappointed if he doesn't make a winning return in the Group 3 Betway Craven Stakes at Newmarket on Thursday. Aidan O'Brien's son of Wootton Bassett is already a Group 1 winner and can strengthen his own Derby claims.
Another favourite of Doyle's, Karl Burke's Boiling Point, returns to turf in the Group 3 Betway Earl Of Sefton Stakes on Wednesday, and with that run under his girth, can establish himself as a genuine Pattern performer this season.