Elsworth hoping for rain for Columbine
The daughter of Diktat is one of the leading fancies for the UltimatePoker.com 1000 Guineas and is currently an 8-1 chance with Ladbrokes for the mile showpiece on May 1.
“She’s a good-moving filly but I would like a shower of rain - I’d rather it didn’t get firm. She’ll definitely improve,” Elsworth said.
“The Nell Gwyn itself is a nice race to win and I’d love her to win that. Whatever she does tomorrow - as long as she comes out of it without any problems - she’ll be a better filly on May 1.”
Richard Fahey is hoping his runner Golden Legacy can put a slightly lacklustre effort at Lingfield well behind her today.
The Rossini filly won the Firth Of Clyde Stakes at Ayr last year but could finish only sixth behind Party Boss in last month’s Spring Cup on the all-weather.
“I was bit bamboozled with her at Lingfield. I thought she would have run better,” Fahey said.
“I hope she’s trained on, I think she has because she’s been working well at home. We will see tomorrow.”
Eamon Tyrrell’s Irish raider Slip Dance, who already has a win at Cork last month to her name this season, is sure to be well fancied, as is Sir Michael Stoute’s Read Federica, winner of her only start to date.
Clive Brittain’s useful filly Favourita also takes her chance.
She will be ridden by Michael Hills for the first time but she is a filly he knows well.
Hills rode Maids Causeway to beat her by three-quarters of a length in the Rockfel Stakes at Newmarket last October and he believes Favourita could have been closer than that.
He told At The Races: “She didn’t have the best of runs in the Rockfel so you could put her pretty close to Maids Causeway that day, which is obviously very good form.
“I rode her the other morning and I was very impressed with her, she picked up and showed a lot of class.”
Jeremy Noseda steps the once-raced Almendrados up to Group Three level after she finished third in a decent maiden race last season.
