London – Britain is preparing for a mini heatwave this weekend, with temperatures expected to hover around 30 degrees, but just seven days ago for York’s prestigious May meeting it was reminiscent of Noah’s Ark and torrential rain quickly turned the ground soft on the Knavesmire, leaving the much-awaited Investec Derby and Oaks trials throwing up more questions than answers.
SMART CALL
Geoff Lester: London – The UK Flat season is barely a month old, but already it has become patently obvious that the remarkable Galileo will run away with the leading sire award for the ninth time in 10 years and that only John Gosden can prevent Aidan O’Brien (1-8 with bookmakers) from taking a sixth trainer’s crown.
London – Aidan O’Brien has rewritten the trainer’s manual dozens of times, but, having surpassed the 19th century achievement of John Scott by winning an eighth 2000 Guineas with the brilliant Churchill at Newmarket last weekend, he slipped away from Coolmore’s celebration party to saddle his third 1-2 in the fillies equivalent over the same Rowley Mile 24 hours later, courtesy of Winter and Rhododendron.
Geoff Lester: London – What a week in prospect – Champions Day in South Africa, the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs, the Hong Kong Champions Mile at Sha Tin and the first two classics of the UK season in Newmarket. To borrow that famous line from Jack Nicholson that’s “As Good As It Gets”.
London – Potential classic bubbles will be flying all over Newmarket and Newbury this week as the 2017 Flat season proper cranks up a gear with a fistful of trials, though, come Saturday night, plenty of dreams will be deflated as owners and trainers acknowledge their winter swans are actually spring geese.
Geoff Lester: London – Britain’s 2017 Turf season explodes into top gear next week, with classic trials at Newmarket and Newbury, so we need to boost the betting kitty beforehand, and Good Friday promises to be the best day’s all-weather racing yet with Newcastle joining in the fun, plus a quality meeting on the grass at Bath.
