Blue Storm (nearest)© Photo Healy Racing
Gemma Tutty is optimistic that her decision to enter sprint star Blue Storm in the William Hill Beverley Bullet Sprint Stakes on Saturday will prove successful.
The Blue Point colt has shown impressive progress this year, finishing fourth on his seasonal debut at Chester in May, followed by a victory in the 3YO “Dash” Handicap at Epsom the following month.
Blue Storm delivered a career-best performance at Royal Ascot in the Palace of Holyrood House Stakes. Although he missed the start and faced traffic issues while tussling with eventual winner Pilgrim, he finished a close second, just half a length behind.
The three-year-old has not raced since that event, and Tutty acknowledges that he is “a gallop short” in his preparation for the Listed race on the Westwood. Nevertheless, she expects him to put in another strong showing.
“He didn’t come out of Ascot very well, it took a lot more out of him than we realised it was going to,” Tutty said.
“It has been a bit of a battle to get him back to where we needed him, he’s probably going into this a gallop short but I’m hoping he gets away with it.
“He’s a seriously fast horse and he’s done a lot of base fitness, I just would have liked, ideally, to have got another fast piece into him.
“I’m happy enough to take his chance but given we have never run him on a stiff track like Beverley and he wasn’t seen to best effect at tracks like Hamilton before we got him, there’s a little bit of a question mark.
“But he’s drawn very well and at Ascot he handled the stiffer finish very well, so it’s worth a try anyway.”
Robert Cowell’s Clarendon House is the only contender to have run at Beverley during his career, winning a three-horse contest in June 2022 before finishing a length and three-quarters behind Judicial three months later.
The six-year-old claimed a Listed triumph at Cork in June before coming home towards the rear of the field on his last two starts at York, latterly in the Group One Nunthorpe Stakes, which has resulted in a change of routine for the son of Mehmas.
“We’re going to go back to basics. He’s been going in with the hood and we’ve been whipping it off late. It worked in Ireland, but it didn’t work in the City Walls or the Nunthorpe,” said Tim Palin, racing manager for owners Middleham Park Racing.
“On Saturday, he’s going to go in naked, so to speak. We’ll strip back the headgear and go in as late as we can and see what happens.
“If he gets out of the right side of bed and jumps off on terms, he’s got a favourite’s chance I think.”
Democracy Dilemma provides another strong challenge for Cowell, with the four-year-old narrowly missing out at the Ebor Festival last week.
He made the running in the five-and-a-half-furlong Symphony Group Handicap before being usurped by Jm Jungle, Jordan Electrics and Looking For Lynda in the closing stages for a one-length fourth.
Michael Dods, who won this race with Dakota Gold in 2020, hopes a drop in trip for only the second time in his career can get Commanche Falls back in the winner’s enclosure.
Jamie Osborne’s Emaraaty Ana is the oldest horse of the seven runners in the contest, while Albasheer aims to return to form for Archie Watson.
Staincliff moves up to Listed level in a bid to complete a hat-trick for Jack Channon.
Safer Gambling UK has launched its annual awareness week to promote responsible gambling.
