Salt Island is a serious rival to unbeaten Limato in the ten-runner, �90000 group two Sandy Lane Stakes over six furlongs of good ground Haydock today; certainly no surprise if this Exceed And Excel colt causes one in what is undoubtedly the race of the day on yet another ludicrously-overwhgelming super-Saturday featuring six meetings.
Four of them will be staged on grade one racecourses, York, Newmarket and Chester are set to run in tandem with the Lanacashire course.
Mine is not to wonder about such madness, just concentrate on my daily patent which involves three singles, three doubles and a treble; seven bets if the singles bets are 2/1 or better.
Chances are Limato will be odds-on thus giving each-way punters a real chance of thieving one of three places; that's the thinking behind backing Salt Island, so impressive when storming into third place behind Adaay in a similar race at Newbury a fortnight ago.
Jamie Spencer over-reacted to the worst draw (in his opinion!) and dropped in last off a strong pace; Salt Island was given plenty to do therefore and was fully eight lengths behind at the two furlongs marker.
That had been reduced to three and half at the line and the whole experience should have been enjoyable, not to mention confidence-boosting. A happy horse!
Adaay opposes on the same terms, he'll be on the premises and a clutch of other winners will make this competitive but, according to trainer Barry Hills, we're about to witness a special performance from Salt Island.
Barry journeys to Newmarket where Sahaafy represents the legend in an eleven-runner 3-y-o handicap over the famous good to firm Rowley Mile; what beats him will win!
Thrice-raced Sahaafy was raised 5lbs for a recent determined effort when beaten three-quarters of a length by Always Smile over a similar distance at Doncaster; on my time-handicap this American-bred colt improved 12 pounds.
If, as expected, Sahaafy lands the money Royal Ascot and the Britannia could be his next target; Barry won that with Ransom Note, winner by six lengths
Earlier Richard Hughes is booked for the splendidly-named Rosslare, one of twelve for the Maiden Fillies' Stakes over seven furlongs and fancied to make it third time lucky-napped.