BET365 Empress Stakes Second Round Preview

It’s straight into the action at 157pm with heat 1 and Frank Gray’s MAKEIT FOR WAZ is an obvious if not inspired selection.  Waz has established herself not just as a local favourite but one of the most popular bitches in training due to some sensational early round Derby performances followed by a succession of top-class efforts since both on her travels and here at Towcester where she is very much on home soil.  There is a slight worry about the similarly early paced Trumpers Lola drawn to her inside today but Waz has a determination to make the bend that few can match and if clearing that rival then it’s once again all over bar the shouting from her loyal band of owners.  My Little Ivy can follow the selection home and give Mark Wallis a qualifier and at a big price don’t be surprised to see the apparent Gray kennel second string Makeit Beauty run a huge race drawn on the wide outside.  Beauty is never too far away in her races and her fitness can only improve for last week’s effort which was her first over 4 bends since the 10^th May.

A much more open looking second heat at 212pm can see Frank Gray’s likely outsider MAKEIT SWALLOW pull off something of a surprise.  Available at double figure prices at the time of writing those odds could be looking somewhat on the large side by the time of the second bend if this improving March 2021 pup finds anything like a start.  Nicely drawn here out in trap 5 she looks all set to get a lovely run to the turn.  After not trapping in great style last week she soon showed good early and middle and after hitting a little bit of a flat spot nearing the final turn stayed on relatively wel thereafter.  This was just this youngsters second competitive start and I do wonder if she were being trained by a more fashionable but less talented name that Frank Gray would she be priced as she is ?  That is very much doubtful and she can pull off a shock in landing this second round heat from one of the likely race favourites Arthur Pumpkin who can run on to qualify in second for Patrick Godfrey with Kevin Hutton’s Magical Firebird safely qualifying in third.

The third heat at 232pm will very likely see Patrick Janssens bang in form Fabulous Azurra go off a warm order favourite but from a draw wider than ideal out in trap 4 there is certainly cause to look elsewhere for a touch of value if nothing else.  Eric Cantillon’s DROOPYS OPTIMAL is nicely drawn here in trap 5 and after a series of quietly impressive performances in defeat behind some decent rivals she finally got her career off the mark with a hugely impressive first round heat win.  With further improvement likely there probably isn’t anything like the gap in quality between her and Azurra as early odds are suggesting.  In fact odds of 11/2 early doors very much qualify for the ‘each way thievery’ tag line and should be snapped up without delay.  Azurra can safely progress in second place with Frank Gray’s Makeit Bombay selected to qualify in third from what looks a decent enough make up on the inside.

The fourth and final heat at 252pm and though beaten at short odds last week I’m sticking with Kevin Hutton’s FOREST ROANNA.  This bitch is well capable of knocking a good chunk off her very poor 443 sectional from last week and it wouldn’t need all that much coming off in order to see her slipping round the first bend in what should be an unassailable lead.  There isn’t all that much in the way of serious early in this race and whatever does escape early could be away and gone.  Roanna to win with Eric Cantillon’s Blackrose Pippa following her home in second and Patrick Janssen’s Crossfield Lexi completing the qualifying list with a third-place finish.