Wednesday evening brings exciting All-Weather racing action from Southwell, broadcast live on Sky Sports Racing. The Come Racing For Free 18th June Novice Stakes promises to be a thrilling encounter, featuring three promising yet unexposed colts. Goldinthesea, having recently switched from Joseph O'Brien's to Ed Bethell's yard, is an intriguing contender. His impressive performance at Dundalk in January has been reinforced by the third-place finisher's subsequent win, suggesting a potentially fruitful future for his new connections.
Penny Time, trained by Hugo Plamer, is another exciting runner who could achieve great things, having convincingly won at Southwell last month. Owen Burrows' Sassicaia, with only one previous start resulting in a win at Wolverhampton in December, remains somewhat of an enigma with potential for further growth. Debutant Shadow Boxer, representing Victorious Forever and costing €520,000, will have his market value assessed. For all the latest news, interviews, and features from the racing world, find out more.
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, 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 different profile, being lightly raced and relatively unexposed.
She makes her seasonal debut after securing her first win in a three-runner race 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 here in October. It will be fascinating to observe how these fillies have wintered and whether they can challenge the race-fit Cool Molly. The evening concludes with Seven Fires aiming to complete a hat-trick in just her fifth career start in the Summer Socials At Southwell Racecourse Fillies' Handicap.
Her two wins, both at Newcastle, showcased her versatility, and stepping back up to six furlongs, she is expected to be tough to beat. Top-rated Barefoot Beach, with only two starts, seeks to rebound from her last defeat at Kempton, having previously shown promise with a win over the same track and distance on debut. Zighy, having finally broken her maiden, could still improve, given her consistent top-three finishes in all five starts.
Additionally, 6.30 Southwell features Betelgeuse seeking another course and distance victory, while Happy Valley hosts notable jockeys Zac Purton, Harry Bentley, Hugh Bowman, and Andrea Atzeni.