Carry Me Home should be ideally suited to a distance of ten furlongs in the Maiden Stakes on Lingfield polytrack this afternoon, that might also be the case for Mark Joihnston-trained Templier. Coincidentally both have raced several times and are sufficiently experienced.
It was obvious that Carry Me Home didn't have the speed to cope with Theos Lolly over a mile of this Surrey venue nineteen days ago, Charles Hills' charge stayed on strongly in the closing stages and I'm anticipating a close run decision providing Darryll Holland is given specific instructions to sort out the wheat from the chaff with a positive ride.
Only problem is Johnno also likes his runners to bowl along from the outset, Templier, rated 9lbs superior of BHA ratings, could scupper such tactics which will mean plan B, keeping handy in readiness to strike for home entering the straight, where it often gets frenetic, not to mention exciting.
This isn't a two-horse race, I'm wary of once-raced pair Shoofly and Topolova, not to mention Richard Hannon-trained Howardian Hills, not surprisingly these maidens are beginning to contain a deal more quality.
As a consequence we have to be realistic. Carry Me Home is strongly-fancied but it might be best to play a serious each-way double into Red Hot Chilly, one of five 'decs' for the Maiden Stakes over a mile of Kempton 'poly' tonight.