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Lowther Stakes preview

The caravan rolls onto day two at York after the huge shock of Golden Horn being trumped by a 50/1 shot in the Juddmonte. It's another great card today, and kicking off the previews is Darren Goodbody, @DarrenPGoodbody with his take on the Lowther Stakes.

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Pinsent Masons Lowther Stakes
Group 2 for 2yo fillies
£160,000, 6f
1430 local, 2330 AEST


The juvenile fillies take center stage here in the Group 2 Lowther Stakes, over the years we have seen the likes of Tiggy Wiggy, Cape Verdi and Russian Rhythm land the prize in recent years. This year's renewal looks competitive enough with William Haggas already on the board on day one with a double with Recorder and Storm the Stars he saddles his daughter of Kodiac here in Besharah.

She has done nothing wrong this season winning three of her five encounters at Ascot and Windsor. Besharah looked more impressive when winning the Group 3 Princess Margaret Stakes at Ascot last time out when beating Richard Hannon's Great Page. The form got a respectable boost when the third Whatdoiwantthatfor when on to win at Newbury in the Listed St Hugh's Stakes. She has to be respected being by an in-form trainer who notched up winner 13 and 14 at the Knavesmire meeting.

I feel David Brown has an interesting contender in Continental Lady, she looks over priced at 20/1 after her debut win at Leicester on good to soft ground. She traveled well on the pace that day before picking it up a furlong out to record a two length win. She is by Medicean who was far better over eight furlongs in his career winning the Lockinge on soft ground, she would have a live chance from what looks a good draw.

Mark Johnston's record on the Knavesmire over the past five seasons reads only fourteen winners from 214 entries just a 6% return, his juveniles have seen him record seven winners form seventy eight entries just 9%, it looks a track he does not have much success on and his entry here Lumiere has been put in as the 6/4 favorite to land this Group 2. His sole run saw her winning on debut at Newmarket when winning her maiden by a very impressive six lengths. The maiden is not holding up to anything special with some of the field already beaten comfortably and feel she is far too short in the market for a competitive juvenile contest.

From the outright winner's angle I would like to side with Michael Dods' EASTON ANGEL who won on her debut on soft ground at Musselburgh. Since then she has won on good to firm at Beverley, and two excellent runs against two impressive winners in Acapulco and Illuminate. Her fourth in the Duchess of Cambridge Stakes when behind Besharah was probably the most unlucky story to take out of the race. She found all sorts of trouble just before the furlong pole, when she got a true line and found the room she stayed on powerfully to go down by just two and a quarter lengths. Despite having two lengths to find with Besharah she is still improving with every run and now she has her ground and obviously luck in running in this smaller field she looks the one to beat under Paul Mulrennan.

From an each way angle, Continental Lady looks worthy of a punt at 20s, her debut was open to improvement and surely is well thought of now tackling pattern company sooner than later and deserves to take her chances here.

EASTON ANGEL : 2pt Win @ 9/2 BOG
Continental Lady : 1pt each way @ 20/1


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