Celtic to prove Heroine
Celtic Heroine can give Michael Jarvis another big-race win at Ascot tomorrow when she lines up for the Weatherbys European Breeders Fund Valiant Stakes.
The Berkshire course is gearing up to host the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Diamond Stakes on Saturday and Jarvis’s charge can provide some funds for the feature on Saturday.
Newmarket-based Jarvis enjoyed a fruitful Royal Ascot, capped with Rakti’s victory in the Prince of Wales’s, but Celtic Heroine also give him a winner when scoring in the Listed Sandringham Rated Stakes.
The daughter of Hernando has since gone onto run two respectable races – only finding a Michael Stoute-trained improver too good at Hamilton and then acquitting herself well in a tough handicap at Newmarket’s July meeting.
Celtic Heroine is clearly a filly with ability and can score again over the Ascot mile tomorrow.
In the two-mile John Guest Brown Jack Stakes, Peter Hiatt’s Moonshine Beach has the right credentials.
He has been running very well recently, winning his last two races, and can defy a 4lb penalty in his hat-trick bid.
Both trip and ground conditions will suit, and this tough campaigner will not go down without a fight.
Even though his wins were in modest company, he goes into tomorrow’s race with confidence high and in truth the opposition is not that strong.
There is decent racing at Newmarket’s popular Friday night meeting, too, where July Cup third Balmont has a prep race for the Nunthorpe in the Vibe FM Conditions Stakes.
The three-year-old ran superbly on his seasonal debut in the Group One sprint, and this step back in trip should set him up nicely for the York event.
Balmont was beaten just two lengths at Newmarket, and trainer Jeremy Noseda reports that the colt pleased him in an easy piece of work on Wednesday morning.
Although he will be attempting five furlongs for the first time in his career, he is by Stravinsky, who easily won the 1999 Nunthorpe over the same trip, and he looks a cut above the opposition.
Despite some rain from earlier in the week having got into the ground the going remained good, with a few good to firm patches. The bias towards those draw high on the straight course remained as expected.
