Ladies Day At Towcester – Bet365 Empress Stakes First Round Preview

An event won in 2021 by Angela Harrison’s sensational Coolavanny Aunty, there will need to be more than a touch of class about any of the ladies lining up in the competition who have dreams of emulating that success.

Frank Gray’s MAKE IT FOR WAZ was improving through the grades at Towcester prior to the Derby but even so her entry appeared at first glance to be a speculative one.  Finishing in last position in both of the A2 events she lined up in prior to running in the first round of the Derby wasn’t exactly an ideal preparation or a sign of things to come but an impressive second place finish behind Bockos Viera in the first round was followed up with an even better performance when landing her second-round heat in good style.  Though eliminated from the competition at the third-round stage Waz had showcased her undoubted class to a large audience.  Finishing runner up in her heat of the Madri Excepcional Cup she then landed her semi final before a sensational winning performance to take the final itself on the big Derby Final night card.  A much-deserved win for the team on the biggest stage of all.  Waz has remained in top class form since and has looked well at home over the 575m trip at Romford where she’s chalked up 4 open race successes over the past couple of months.  Ideally drawn here and competing at a track she knows and loves anything like a level start should see her in command at the turn from which point onwards it should be a race against the clock.  Kevin Hutton’s Apache Breeze is no mug and can do it both ways.  If Waz does get clear then that will leave plenty of space on the inside in behind for Breeze for follow her home and this looks a fairly solid forecast to get punters off to a winning start in heat one.

It can be a quickfire double for Frank Gray as his MAKEIT BOMBAY can follow up last week’s UK debut winning performance by landing heat two.  Bombay looks plotted up to lead on the inside and with the benefit of last week’s run under her belt she should be tough to peg back.  Popping out from her middle draw last week Bombay set the pace upfront but after being passed rounding the final two turns she could have been forgiven for saving a little for another day but she dug deep and came back to just about get up on the finish line.  It was a gutsy performance and though she’ll need to strip fitter today in a much better race she should well do and can make all.  There really is no getting away from the make up she has here and anything like a level start should see her around the first bend in a comfortable lead.

Heat three looks a match between the inside pair of FOREST ROANNA trained by Kevin Hutton and Mark Wallis’s Trumpers Lola.  Preference is for Roanna who though giving away a little bit of track experience to her rival just gives the impression that she might well go on to bigger and better things.  Lola has been showing plenty in high grade here at Towcester though so Hutton’s bitch will need to be lively at the start and take command of the rail.  If she does the race should be as good as over and with Lola best when dominating it might well be that Belinda Green’s Touchdown Cammy might just offer a bit of value in the forecast market.  Cammy has been staying on strongly in high grade races down at Hove and though lacking a look around Towcester she can run on for second behind Roanna for what should be a reasonable enough forecast return.

It could well be an afternoon to remember for Frank Gray with his strong running JUMEIRAH LOLA selected to land heat four from what looks a lovely make up against the rail.  A very consistent sort who is capable over a variety of trips her chance looks obvious and should see manage to hold off Mark Wallis’s Beepers Grace to the turn she will prove very difficult to beat.  Eric Cantillon’s Droopys Optimal is lightly raced and has any amount of improvement to come.  She reached the Juvenile Classic final here recently and with those runs under her belt this step into bitch confined company looks a perfect next step.  She’s been sharpened up for this competition with a couple of trials around Yarmouth and Suffolk Downs respectively and can give the selection plenty to think about.

An open looking fifth heat with a number of unexposed young bitches lining up in a field where most of these wouldn’t be nor look likely to become front running types at least over four bend trips.  Something in this heat five line up today is going to get a very cheap first bend lead and that can be Kevin Hutton’s FOREST DIAMOND.  Running a number of eye-catching races lately from the back of the pack it could well be that she near enough leads round in this race today and if doing so it’s going to be game over for her rivals.  Patrick Godfrey’s Arthur Pumpkin looks another who could well turn a lot handier than usual and again if she happened to make the bend in front of the selection would be difficult to peg back.  Back Diamond to win with a small saver on Pumpkin.

It doesn’t take a genius to come up with Patrick Janssens FABULOUS AZURRA to land heat six but she’s absolutely plotted up.  The British Bred bitch went unbeaten through the BGBF Oaks at Henlow in recent weeks making light work of her opposition in each of the three rounds and from a perfect make up against the rail she can make it 4 wins in her last 4 starts and safely qualify through to next weeks quarter final.  Mattie Richards local bitch Overpaid stays on well over course and distance in high class graded races here and can get after the selection albeit is still likely to finish a reasonably distant second.  She can add a little bit of juice to the forecast returns.

MY LITTLE IVY was a high-class sort in Ireland putting up a number of top-class efforts around Shelbourne Park including a best of 2839 there when landing a good class A2 Stake Final in October last year.  Ivy was graded on nicely here at Towcester and no doubt got some of the purchase price back when first landing an A2 and not long after an A1 before most recently winning her maiden here in good style.  She’s very much heading the right way and looks certain to make her presence felt at full open level but particularly in bitch confined competitions such as this event.  From a lovely draw against the rail she looks sure to take plenty of beating though her odds will reflect her stand out chances.  The race for second looks competitive and a number of these are possibly drawn the wrong way around.  Heat seven might be a race to keep it simple and either take the short odds to win or simply watch and enjoy.

Heat eight looks another match up between two bitches trained by Mark Wallis and Kevin Hutton and again both being drawn on the inside.  Wallis’s Minnie Bullet is yet to win in 6 career starts and may well have to play second fiddle again with Kevin Hutton’s MAGICAL FIREBIRD selected to land the spoils.  A strong running sort Firebird has winning experience around here when landing an A3 and a A2 earlier on in her career before more recently showing herself to be a capable sort in six bend opens.  She should have too much class for Wallis’s bitch and can eventually come through for a decisive victory.