LONDON – Sir Michael Stoute’s string is just hitting top form and Keene Dancer looks nicely treated in the Skybet Fillies’ Handicap at Windsor on Monday.
Big-race wins for Sea Moon and Fiorente will have provided a welcome boost in recent weeks for the Freemason Lodge team after a slow start to the campaign and Keene Dancer can keep up the momentum.
She appears to be an improving filly who made her debut at Newmarket last October when she was not disgraced behind The Fugue.
Reappearing over 2000m at Salisbury in May, it looked a case of her stamina giving way rather than a lack of fitness that saw her finish fourth and Stoute saw fit to drop her to 1600m for her next race.
That looked a very shrewd move as she ran out a comfortable winner at this course and given that Windsor maidens are usually pretty competitive, Stoute was likely to have been pleased with an initial handicap mark of 78.
Roger Varian’s Ashaadd can get off the mark in the Skybet EBF Maiden Stakes.
He cost 110,000 gns and made useful Ask Dad pull out all the stops when a narrow second at Salisbury last month. That form looks rock solid and Varian has a good crop of juveniles this season.
Mark Johnston has given Modernism plenty of time to recover from a disappointing run at Doncaster and he looks the answer to a competitive Skybet Handicap.
An easy winner of a Wolverhampton maiden, he was fancied in a race which has worked out really well at Town Moor.
Given he has been off for over 100 days, something may have gone wrong and he can bounce back with Kieren Fallon in the saddle.
The drying ground at Ayr should see Red Paladin break his duck in the Open Lost Boys Offer At BetVictor.com Median Auction Maiden Stakes.
A promising third at York in a hot maiden on debut, he really should have won at Hamilton but got tired on testing ground. A repeat of his first run should see him prevail.
First-time blinkers for Bix might see him come home in front in the Ladbrokes Mobile Maiden Auction Stakes at Southwell.
Brian Meehan’s colt has improved with racing and this contest might not take much winning.
Meehan might also be in the mark at Wolverhampton with Edraaq, who faces a drop in class after coming up against Shantaram last time out. – Press Association.
