Dual Identity © Photo Healy Racing
Dual Identity will bid to make it third time lucky in the bet365 Cambridgeshire at Newmarket later this month.
William Knight’s charge was only headed in the closing stages when third in the race two years ago and finished three and a half lengths adrift of Astro King in 10th last term.
The six-year-old has been in decent form again this season, scoring at Sandown in May and performing with credit in some major summer handicaps before chasing home stablemate Sir Busker at York recently.
Sam Hoskins, racing manager for owners Kennet Valley Syndicates, said: “He ran a stormer; he was just checked in running a little bit, so you could say he was a little bit unlucky, although I think Sir Busker was always holding him.
“He ran a great race and is up 3lb for it, which I guess is expected, and we’re hopefully going to run him in the Cambridgeshire on September 28.
“He’s run well in the race before, to be honest he was unlucky not to win it two years ago, and he ran quite well in it last year, although William’s horses probably weren’t in the same kind of form as they are this year.
“But he’s better than ever on ratings and he seems to be progressing, so you never know. There will probably be something better handicapped but he’ll have a serious chance of being in the shake-up anyway.
“The style of that race suits him pretty well. It doesn’t suit every horse but it does suit him and that’s worth a few pounds, so hopefully he’ll still be competitive and he does deserve to win a big one.
“He has been unlucky in some big-field handicaps, so it would be great to see him get his day.”
Kennet Valley also have an ambitious target for juvenile filly Mollie Foster, who won at Haydock in July and bounced back from a disappointing Deauville effort to finish second at Goodwood.
Hoskins said: “She’s going to go for one of those Goffs Million races on September 28. There’s a six-furlong race and a seven-furlong race and we haven’t quite made our minds up yet.
“Ed Walker thinks maybe we should be going up in trip, but we might end up going for the stiff six, because it takes a lot of getting that six at the Curragh.
“The plan is to go out there because it’s an awful lot of money and there’s actually quite a lot of sentiment there as well, because she was bought the day our founder Nick Robinson died and her name is an amalgamation of his grandparents’ names.
“Nick set up Kennet Valley to try to win the Goffs Million, or the Cartier Million as it was then, but this is the equivalent race, so it’s all gone full circle.
“He set up Kennet Valley in the 80s and came second in the race with Miss Demure in 1988. We’re trying to make history by winning it and it would really mean something – the prize-money is obviously great but there’s a bit of sentiment there, too.
“There will probably be some good horses in there but she’s worth her place, especially with the fillies’ allowance.”
