West End Girl

You can understand why Ultra Violet was put in as favourite for this.  Visually, Ed Vaughan’s filly was seriously impressive in winning her maiden on her racecourse debut six weeks ago.

She missed the break a little, she was well back in the field early on.  It appeared that she got a little out-paced as they quickened on the run to the two-furlong pole, before she started to pick up on the stands rail.  She finished off her race really strongly, coming clear of her rivals.

That said, for all that it looked really impressive, the substance of the performance may lack solidity.  The race is not working out well, and the winning time was not great.  She is a really likeable filly, she may well step forward from that run, it was her racecourse debut, and she is proven at the track, and the step up to seven furlongs is probably a positive.  But it looks like she was priced up on the style of her maiden win, not on the substance, and she is drifting out to a more realistic price this morning.

I like West End Girl.  She ran better than her finishing position suggests in a listed race at Sandown last time that was won by her stable companion Walk In Marrakesh.  She was keener than ideal through the early stages of that race, as she was restrained behind her stable companion.

She came under pressure early in the home straight, and it looked like she would be swallowed up by her rivals as her early exertions took their toll, but she rallied gamely.  She was flanked by Romsey on the far side and Light Blush on the near side, but she was rallying close home, and she would have got past Romsey and very close to Light Blush had she not run out of racing room very close home.

She could do better today if she is allowed jump and run by Franny Norton, and there is a chance that she will, as she is Mark Johnston’s only runner.  Also, she is drawn in stall one, and the stalls will be on the stands rail today, so that should be perfect for her.  She will be drawn next to the stands rail, which is not a bad place to be on the July Course and, if she can break smartly and bag an early lead on the near rail, she could lead all the way.