Dour stayer Gertrude Bell makes each-way appeal
Jim Bolger’s filly looked limited and potentially quirky when scoring just once in five outings as a juvenile, but she’s made significant strides this season.
Well backed in the ante-post market, she comes here as a live contender to emulate former Coolcullen inmate Jet Ski Lady who caused a 50-1 shock when leading virtually all the way in this race back in 1991.
Akdarena appears to have improved for racing on better ground, over a longer distance, with the aid of a tongue-tie and blinkers and for being ridden more positively. Jockey Kevin Manning will be looking to steal a march on his rivals but those tactics could set the race up for the late-comers. Henry Cecil is a master with fillies and his runners, Aviate and Timepiece, command respect as much for their address at Warren Place as for their form. Morning favourite Aviate is unbeaten in three outings and she used a potent turn of pace to overcome trouble when getting the better of Akdarena's stable-companion Gold Bubbles in the Musidora at York.
However, that wasn’t a great race and if there’s a concern about her it’s the fact that she’s not bred to stay a mile and a half and, it’s fair to say, she’s never been spoken of in the same glowing terms as stable-mate Timepiece.
The latter was a very useful juvenile, but she’s contrived to get beaten on both outings this term. She looked a certain winner of the Lingfield Oaks Trial recently until succumbing to the late rush of outsider Dyna Waltz.
Cecil still speaks highly of her but she showed an awkward head carriage that day and, despite her ability to travel deep into the race, there must be a question mark about her giving it all when push comes to shove.
Aidan O’Brien runs three here with Remember When, though still maiden, the most favoured of the trio at just 8-1. She ran a fine race when a close-up fourth in the Irish 1000 Guineas last time out and being a three-parts sister to former Derby third Dylan Thomas, she should excel at this trip. However, she hasn’t learnt what it takes to put her head in front and, at current odds, she makes little appeal.
The highly regarded Rumoush was inconvenienced by the draw whenseventh in the English 1000 Guineas at Newmarket but had previously beaten the colts when taking the Listed Feilden Stakes over nine furlongs at Newmarket. She’s got bundles of class but the trip is an unknown and, with a strong gallop likely, her stamina will be tested in full.
Sajjhaa made one of the most outstanding debuts seen for many a moon when treating some limited rivals with real contempt at Sandown just a couple of weeks ago. The racing world looked her oyster after that success but there must be a fear that this will be asking too much too soon. She can win today’s race - and what a superstar she would be should she succeed - but the value has long since disappeared and she’s now ludicrously short at around 6-1. In a contest where almost all of the runners are worth a mention, the one that stands out in terms of value is Gertrude Bell. John Gosedn’s filly failed to make a breakthrough in three runs as a two-year-old and was behindTimepiece on two of those occasions. Even at that stage it was patently obvious that her speed was secondary to her stamina. A step up in trip was always going to be the making of her and she's looked a completely different filly in two outings this season.
She began by claiming her maidensuccess at Newbury before improving markedly to run out a narrow winner of the Cheshire Oaks. The latter looked nothing special at the time and closer inspection of the form does little to elevate it. However, she won far more decisively than the winning margin suggests despite perhaps being inconvenienced by the running of the race.
If, as expected, Akdarena ensures an honest gallop form the start, Gertrude Bell will have her optimum conditions for the very first time. Like her Derby winning sire Sinndar, she’s likely to sit close-in behind the pace before being produced with a sustained challenge from the home-turn.
She’ll relish every yard of the long run-in and, though she may not have the apparent class of some of her rivals, she looks way over-priced at 16-1. At those sort of odds, she makes considerable each-way appeal in a wide-open race.
