JULIETTE'S WEEKLY FROLIC
Young Ash Leaf gracefully slaughtered her male rivals in the Scottish 'National', among them her stable companion, The Spaniard, and so with the wrong horse from the right quarters, one non-starter and my only suc- cess at 5 to 1 on, I am left £1 the poorer. Guineas bets have to be placed this week, if at all, and with the departure of Levanter and a poor display from Minsky, it looks pretty certain to be a favourites' race, but separat- ing the two principals, My Swallow and Mill Reef, is not easy. However, assuming that the latter would have reversed Maison Lafitte placings given a luckier draw, his subsequent races as a two-year-old only confirmed that impression, while although it is hard to find fault with My Swallow, hi S recent •classic trial fades in comparison to Mill Reef's `Greenharn'. Having decided on the winner, financially I have no choice but a double (with unbeaten Cawston's Pride in the fillies' race) and as a second string suggest combin- ing Ryan Price's impressive Ascot winner, Good Bond, with Free Handicap runner-up, Catherine Wheel.
Returning to more immediate problems, sandwiched between the flat races on San- down's Saturday card, is the last valuable fling for the chasers, in the shape of the £10,250 Whitbread Gold Cup, which has very naturally attracted a large and talented field, all hoping to round off the season with a resounding victory here. Lord Jim, The Otter and The Laird all seek Aintree compensa- tion, while Titns Oates and Spanish Steps are out to prove that given a run they could have won the Gold Cup. However, although an ardent admirer of boih, there are far too many sound and genuine prospects around the 10 stone mark and I think Rough Silk (at 9 st 7 lb), who defeated Prince Tino in a tremendous finish here on April Fool's Day, could now fight it out with similarly weighted Foxtor, who but for swerving at the last, would have been a lot nearer The Pantheon in Newbury's Mandarin and followed this up with a comfortable victory under 12 st 2 lb on his home course. One race earlier Dapper Dan having finished an impressive runner-up in his racecourse debut at Bank Holiday, can take the Ladbroke Classic Trial, and at Bangor on Friday Dungarvan Jewel is capable of defying topweight in the 2.30.
Assets: £86.875. Outlay : Newmarket, £5 win double Mill Reef and Cawston's Pride, £1 ew double Good Bond and Catherine Wheel, £2 to win Dttngarvan Jewel and Dapper Dan, £2 ew Foxtor (alt Rough Silk).
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