Doctrine can lay down the law
She was slowly away when green on her debut at Goodwood in May but was given time to strengthen up afterwards and ran much better next time in a fast-ground maiden at Nottingham last month.
She was beaten by Tamarillo, who had looked useful when second in a couple of maidens at Kempton, and the pair were well clear of third-placed Couplet.
By Barathea out of a Shirley Heights mare, Doctrine will be suited by further than a mile in time, but she sets a decent standard this afternoon and is the one to beat.
Golden Empire is another with promising form up against some potentially decent debutants in the Betfair.com Maiden Stakes.
Ed Dunlop’s charge has had just the one run but showed plenty of promise when third to Auditorium at Pontefract.
The winner has gone on to earn a quote of 33-1 for the 2000 Guineas after scoring in a valuable two-year-old event at Ripon, and Golden Empire was putting in enough good work at the end to suggest he is well up to winning a contest of this nature.
Top Tenor bagged a confidence-boosting success on his latest start and is taken to build on that in the Weatherill Brothers Marquees Handicap.
John Dunlop’s three-year-old finally got off the mark at the sixth time of asking at Salisbury.
He needed to get every inch of the mile and three-quarters to hold Forever My Lord by a head, with odds-on favourite Bernard a further five lengths away.
Progeny of Sadler’s Wells tend to like a bit of cut in the ground, but he seems to handle fast ground and has obviously appreciated a step up in trip, having never ventured beyond a mile as a juvenile.
His first run this term was over 12 furlongs, but was clearly too bad to be true as he never got involved and finished last.
He showed more next time and, if the penny has finally dropped, he should take a lot of beating in what is a moderate contest to say the least.
Arzoo can reward his supporters in the Anglia Television Classified Stakes.
Luca Cumani’s colt was beaten less than a length in a better race when dropped back to a mile at Pontefract on his latest start.
He failed to stay 10 furlongs when well beaten the time before at Ripon.
