Tonight sees the conclusion of the fourth Lowther Stakes Final from Nottingham. Mark Pierrepont assesses the chances of the six finalists.
Tractor Skinner came into this competition with a somewhat lower profile than some of tonight’s rivals. That in my view was solely due to the bitch having not raced away from Nottingham since arriving here from Ireland. Skinner is a winning machine , she turned 4 year old this month but is in the form of her life and is a credit to trainer Terry Munslow and his team. Ideally drawn against the rail in trap 1 , there’s not a bitch in the final who knows this Colwick Park venue better. Likely to be over priced once more and a danger to all if she traps. Early price 20-1 Betfair/Paddy Power
Fantastically bred bitch , originally trained by Kevin Hutton before switching to John Lambe. Frightening early pace when trapping on terms and advertised her class when setting new track record figures in heat , semi final and final when winning the Bedfordshire Mini Derby over 428m. Came from behind when winning her heat of this competition and although beaten in her semi final she’s a leading player if timing her break right. Early price 7-2 Coral, Betfred, Boylesports
Classy bitch with a lightning early pace. Maybe finds 480m as far as she wants but if she does lead she’ll not be easily reeled in. Led for a long way in the William Hill Angel Of The North Final and has really taken to the Nottingham track. Will need a smash break in order to clear the pace on her inside , but in the hands of Angela Harrison and Jimmy Wright that is a definite possibility. A comfortable winner of her first round heat before finishing runner up after leading in her semi final. Early price 7-1 Ladbrokes
With a run this bitch is one of if not the fastest bitch in the country. Maybe lacks the initial early pace of some of tonight’s rivals and it is this paired with some horrendous luck in the draw that has so far prevented her from winning quite as many races as she should have. That said Button won the Racing Post Juvenile at Sheffield earlier this year and has also reached the semi finals of the RPGTV Scottish Derby and the Ladbrokes Summer Stayers Classic (*withdrawn lame from the semi final). A quality bitch who should be written off at your peril but will need a little luck in running. Early price 7-1 Coral
The apple of trainer Hutton’s eye and it’s not difficult to see why. Always highly rated this bitch performed miracles to get up on the line when winning the Henlow Maiden Summer Cup Final last month. Came into this competition without a look around the track due to time constraints and though she was beaten in her heat , Molly went into many notebooks with the way in which she performed. With the look around the track under her belt Molly ran out a ready winner of her semi final. Might have preferred a trap 6 draw but this bitch is improving at a rapid rate of knots and regardless of tonight’s result wants keeping on side for future events. Early price 11-4 Boylesports
With 22 victories and 6 runner up positions to her name from just 37 career races this is a bitch with class and a terrific will to win. A lethal combination. Donation doesn’t have to lead either , she’s just as comfortable coming from off the pace. Having already reached 3 Category 1 Finals without success (Sussex Cup , Oaks , Grand Prix) , Donation will be hoping to gain the top class final success that her undoubted ability deserves. With a run is the bitch that they all have to beat. Early price 5-2 Betfair, Paddy Power