Turf Talk - Star Of Wins eyes treble with victory at Yarmouth

Down the field on his Newmarket debut after blowing the start, the son of Sea The Stars has got his act together since and is very much on an upward curve.

Since a narrow defeat when favourite for his second career outing at Bath in early July, the William Haggas-trained colt has registered wins at Windsor and Sandown.

He looked in trouble on his most recent outing, but dug deep for St Leger-winning jockey Tom Marquand to come out on top and this step up to almost a mile and a half should suit, with Cieren Fallon taking over in the saddle.

Punting obviously had no chance against Enable in the September Stakes, but the British EBF Premier Fillies’ Handicap could be much more her level.

Rated 80, connections possibly felt she had a chance of picking up some black type at Kempton should a more fancied rival have underperformed, but odds of 200-1 proved a fair summary of her efforts as she came home a well beaten fifth of six.

Her previous run perhaps gives a better indication of her ability, as she finished second to Sorrel, who subsequently boosted the form with a narrow victory at Doncaster’s St Leger meeting.

Sorrel was an odds-on favourite that day, but Punting ran well enough in being beaten three lengths to suggest her current perch does not look to be beyond her.

Lexington Force is of interest on his turf debut at Redcar.

A decisive winner at 25-1 on his introduction at Kempton in February, Richard Hannon’s inmate made a promising return from a break when second under a penalty at the same venue last month.

An opening mark of 85 for the Racing TV Handicap may underestimate his potential.

Harrier Hawk can make it fourth time lucky in the Try Our New Runner Boost At Unibet Nursery Handicap at Kempton.

She shaped with much more encouragement on her most recent trip to the track, being beaten four and a half lengths in second over seven furlongs at Chelmsford.

That third run has seen her earn a starting mark of 59, which should not be insurmountable.

Black Kraken made huge strides from his first to his second National Hunt outing and can make it a double in the Racing Partnership Novices’ Hurdle at Hexham.

Sent off a 66-1 chance at Cartmel, he clearly felt the benefit of his initial run as he turned in a decent round of jumping before pulling four and a quarter lengths clear at the finish.

He was no great shakes on the Flat, but given he was racing against the likes of Top Rank and Bangkok, he was set some stiff challenges.

He could have found his niche now.

SOBOT’S SELECTIONS

HEXHAM: 2.10 Achill Road Boy, 2.40 Millie Of Mayo, 3.10 Black Kraken, 3.40 Shanroe Street, 4.10 Dolly Dancer, 4.40 Robsam, 5.15 Shantaluze, 5.50 Sneaker.

KEMPTON: 3.55 Lovely Breeze, 4.30 Bama Lama, 5.05 Harrier Hawk, 5.40 Witch Hunt, 6.10 Habit Rouge, 6.40 Charlie Arthur, 7.10 Villanelle, 7.40 Limaro Prospect, 8.10 Rochford.

REDCAR: 1.15 Victory Heights, 1.45 Locket, 2.20 Soaring Star, 2.50 Lexington Force, 3.20 Devil’s Angel, 3.50 Roong Roong, 4.20 Mecca’s Hot Steps, 4.50 The Fiddler.

YARMOUTH: 1.00 Punting (next best), 1.30 STAR OF WINS (NAP), 2.00 Inver Park, 2.30 Ajrad, 3.00 Case Key, 3.30 Atletico, 4.00 Gavi Di Gavi.

A message from the Editor:

Leeds has a fantastic story to tell - and the Yorkshire Evening Post has been rooted firmly at the heart of telling the stories of our city since 1890. We believe in ourselves and hope you believe in us too. We need your support to help ensure we can continue to be at the heart of life in Leeds.

A letter from the editor

Subscribe to our website and enjoy unlimited access to local news and information online and on our app. With a digital subscription, you can read more than 5 articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Click HERE to subscribe. For more details on our newspaper subscription offers click HEREThank you, Laura Collins