Noseda targets Solario repeat

Jeremy Noseda is looking for Fantastic Moon to give him back-to-back victories in the Candy Kittens Solario Stakes at Sandown today.

While last year’s winner Talwar had the benefit of three previous runs, one of which was a course and distance success, before he took this Group Three prize, Fantastic Moon will be the most inexperienced horse in the line-up with just the one run behind him.

It was a winning effort in a five-horse maiden four weeks ago at Newmarket where he accounted for Snowboarder by half a length.

“Jeremy was struggling to find a novice race for him, so the programme book has twisted his arm to go in this direction,” said Bruce Raymond, racing manager to owner Saeed Suhail.

“We are hoping he will prove good enough. We think he could be that sort of horse but whether he is quite up to it yet we don’t know.

“He had him in a Listed race at Salisbury on Friday and felt that was as tough as this so we thought we’d take the chance to go to Sandown with him.

“It’s just whether he’s got the experience yet. We think he’s a nice horse and this will tell us where we go.”

Robert Havlin is looking forward to continuing his association with Mocenigo for trainer Peter Chapple-Hyam after steering the colt to a facile 11-length success at the hugely-prohibitive odds of 1-25 at Southwell.

“When I rode him first time out at Lingfield we quietly fancied him and we bumped into a nice horse of David Lanigan’s (No Jet Lag) who had had a run at Newmarket. He beat me a short head,” the jockey told At The Races.

“The next time I rode him at Southwell he was the shortest-priced favourite I’ve ever ridden, at 1-25. He duly obliged.

“He’s very uncomplicated. He’s by Reuse To Bend and some of his can be tricky but he isn’t.

“I rode him work on Tuesday morning and I was very pleased with him. He’s improved since his last run again.

“He won’t want it too quick. That’s the only thing. He has quite a knee action on him.

“He missed an engagement at Redcar last Saturday and the horse that beat him won that race by five lengths so the form is working out well.

“He wouldn’t want it too quick but at least at Sandown they usually do a good job and they meet the ground up the hill there.”

Richard Hannon saddles Master Of War and he feels that the Compton Place colt will relish the step up to seven furlongs after he ran subsequent Gimcrack runner-up Heavy Metal to half a length in the Richmond Stakes at Glorious Goodwood.

“He probably found Goodwood’s fast six furlongs a bit sharp on quickish ground in the Richmond at the Glorious meeting,” Hannon told www.richardhannonracing.co.uk.

“He still ran a cracker to split Heavy Metal and Cay Verde, who have since chased home Blaine in the Gimcrack at York.

“Our fellow will be better suited by this extra furlong.”

The sole Irish raider in the contest is Dont Bother Me and his trainer Niall Moran has had this race in mind for some time.

A son of Dark Angel, he followed up placed efforts at Leopardstown and Galway with victory at the former track on his third start.

“He won last time and the race has worked out well. He’s stepping up in class like most of them and I’m happy with him,” said the County Sligo handler.

“I’ve looked at this race down the years and it’s a good test. He has a Group One entry later on so we thought we’d go there first and seven furlongs at Sandown is a great track.

“I’ve had this in the back of my mind for some time now. He won his maiden well and he’s a progressive sort.

“It’s a big ask for a two-year-old to travel over, but we thought we’d give it a go.”