We are still enjoying what has been a sensational National Hunt campaign and there is plenty more of it to come, but the flat season is getting too close to ignore any longer and Seymour Biz has already cast his critical eye over the likely stars that can be expected to shine brightest. Here are his Top Ten 3 Year Old Horses To Follow, on the flat in 2019.
You can find all recent analysis from Seymour Biz in his weekly Saturday Horse Racing Tips column.
ADVERTISE
This beautifully proportioned colt is trained by Martyn Meade who was so confident about his credentials he sent him out for his first run in May last year. That was in a lowly Class 4 at Newbury where he saw off his rivals by just 3/4 of a length, but showed enough for Meade to see he could go on to better things. He then went to Royal Ascot for the Coventry Stakes and raced on the unfavourable far side, he was first in that group but second overall to the well-fancied Calyx going down by a length. From that setback he went on to win the July Stakes at Newmarket and the Phoenix Stakes at the Curragh. His final race of the year was the Dewhurst at Newmarket in October when he may have been over the top. He went down by two and three quarters lengths to the highly rated Too Darn Hot, (who incidentally looks a superhorse in the making. He could even be another Frankel and his odds may be too short to be considered in this list) but was keeping on at the finish, he can go on to bigger and better things.
ANTHONY VAN DYCK
Another of Galileo’s offspring trained by the great Aidan O’Brien, he had a somewhat inauspicious start to his career finishing only seventh in a maiden at the Curragh. But it was onwards and upwards from there, rattling off three successive victories including the Curragh’s Futurity Stakes in August. Since then he has been highly tried going down to Quorto in the Vincent 0’Brien Stakes back at the Curragh and Too Darn Hot in the Dewhurst at Newmarket. His final race last year was the Juvenile Turf in the Breeders Cup at Churchill Downs in November where he finished down the field after being bumped, I feel he will be a better horse with the sun on his back in the early summer.
Claim Your Sign-Up Bonus With BetWay!
DUBAI WARRIORÂ
A John Gosden trained colt who has run only once as a two-year-old and that was on the all-weather at Chelmsford. That race was a low class Novice Stakes on a dull and dreary early November evening. Of course just the mention of the famous trainer’s name meant he went off a very short priced favourite and he was expected to put up a bold showing. He did more than that as he made headway to take the lead a furlong out, he was soon clear and ran on strongly winning easily by four and a half lengths. That race was over a mile, he can surely move on to be a contender for big prizes in the 10 furlong category.
EAGLES BY DAY
This Sea The Stars colt is the charge of Michael Bell at his Fitzroy House Stables in Newmarket. He is a late foal (28th April) so did not see a racecourse until October last year, his only run in 2018. In that race, a Nottingham maiden, over just over a mile he ran very green. He was slow into his stride but then realised what he was supposed to do and made headway down the centre of the course. He was doing his best work at the end and stayed on to go down by just a length and a half to the smart Alnadir, the pair of them finishing almost. 3 lengths clear of the third and the fourth was a further 3 1/2 lengths further back again. This was a good effort for his racecourse debut and I fully expect him to go on to better things.
FAIRYLANDÂ
Another of one of the hot-shots from Aidan O’Briens stable, but this time one of his fillies. She won her maiden at Naas in May beating the rated Mintd, at the end of that month she went to the Curragh for the Marble Hill Stakes and promptly dealt with a strong field that included stablemate Van Beethoven. She won so comfortably that day O’Brien was minded to bring her to Royal Ascot for the Albany. She raced on the unfavourable far side and though she won her group, she went down by just over half a length behind two horses who were lucky enough to be drawn on the stands side. In her next effort she justified favouritism to win the Lowther at York in an epic tussle with The Mackem Bullet, before finally finishing her season in the Cheveley Park at Newmarket. She again thwarted Brian Ellison’s brave filly showing doughty courage to stay on well. She will be a force to be reckoned with over a mile in the coming season.
FASHION’S STAR
This Roger Charlton trained filly has only ever had one run in her life and that was at Newbury last September. That was in a race titled the Full Of Surprises Fillies Conditions Stakes and she really could be a filly to give a surprise to members of the racing fraternity. In the small field of seven she met that day she was able to assert herself and come home comfortably by a length and a quarter from a reasonably experienced field. The beaten favourite that day , Ice Gala, went out and won on her next engagement so franking the form. That race was over 7f and I see no problem in her stepping up to a mile or even 10f. She is a filly in waiting.
FRANKELLINA
I think the name of this filly gives away the fact she was sired by the great Frankel. She is in the care of William Haggas at his stables at Somerville Lodge in Newmarket and he is looking at her being a top class filly in the coming season. She ran very green on her only outing last year at Yarmouth in October. She was held up in midfield that day and had to be shaken up and given a reminder which led to her going about her work and getting up in the last strides to beat John Gosden’s Oussel Falls. Given that Gosden speaks very highly of his defeated filly, it only goes to show that Frankellina may have an exciting season ahead of her.
SKITTER SCATTER
This John Oxx trained filly had a busy time of it as a two year old running no fewer than seven times. She won only once but was never out of the frame in her first four starts, however in the second half of the campaign she really came good.winning here final three starts the last one being the Group 1 Moyglare Stud Stakes at The Curragh. All these victories were under the stewardship of Patrick Prendergast but he chose not to renew his training licence and his stable was merged with Oxx’s. The filly has excellent juvenile form and connections are hopeful of further improvement making her a strong contender for the
1000gns.
SURFMAN
This colt trained by Roger Varian raced twice last year at Nottingham, both runs coming at the end of the season. In his first race in October he ran rather green and was badly hampered in a race won by Star Safari. But he really showed he had got the hang of things next time out in November when he was sent off the odds-on favourite. He took up the running two furlongs out and just had to be pushed out to win by a length and three quarters. He could prove very fruitful to follow as he steps up in distance during the summer.
ZAKOUSKI
This colt had only one run in 2018 and that was in a pretty inauspicious contest on Kempton’s all-weather in November. However he was up against another promising sort in Headman who was a well fancied odds-on favourite that day. The pair went clear of the rest of the field a furlong out but Zakouski asserted over the last 100 yards to win by two lengths. Trainer Charlie Appleby even thinks he could become a pattern performer and he has the potential to be a 2000gns contender. Even if that does not work out his pedigree shows he could be a force to be reckoned with at anything up to 10 furlongs this year.