Hugo Palmer is eyeing the Midnite Sprint final for Stratusnine after he dominated a six-furlong handicap at Wolverhampton last week.
The three-year-old justified strong market support as he powered to a two-and-a-quarter length verdict over stablemate Dubai Bling, with the duo pulling clear of the rest of the field.
Sidelined for most of 2025, Stratusnine stepped forward significantly from his comeback ninth at Newcastle last month and the handicapper has responded with an 8lb rise to 92.
Dubai Bling, who was making his first start since finishing fourth on Newcastle’s AWC Trials Day in January, has gone up 2lb to 91 and is set to run in Bahrain later this week.
Palmer said: “Stratusnine had very good form as a two-year-old, especially at York when he split two horses [Arabie and Simmering] who would go on to win Group Two races later in the season.
“Sadly, he had a stress injury in his shoulder in the spring, which was hugely disappointing because he was one of the horses we were really looking forward to.
“We were thrilled to get him back in the winner’s enclosure at Wolverhampton. It was not a surprise as he had been training really well following his comeback at Newcastle, which we knew he would need.
“I need to speak to the owners but my preference would be to have a light campaign on the all-weather with a view to qualifying for Finals Day. He could have a couple of runs before Good Friday as he needs to gain more experience.
“Come the summer, we hope he could be a Wokingham and Stewards’ Cup type of horse, although he may have a preference for soft ground, in which case the Ayr Gold Cup would be a nice target.”
Crown Board posted a notable performance in the Mile category as he defied a mark of 102 to narrowly win a class two handicap at Chelmsford. Jane Chapple-Hyam’s runner has a revised rating of 105 and could look towards AWC Trials Day at Newcastle next month.
Blazeon Five continued her fine run of form as she completed a hat-trick in the feature staying handicap at Southwell on Friday. Backing up wins at Ascot and Nottingham, Alan King’s seven-year-old has climbed 12lb in the handicap and will run off 92 next time out.
The Ed Walker-trained Bridget’s View delivered a taking performance on the same Southwell card as she overcame a 211-day absence to win a fillies’ handicap by just over four lengths. With an upgraded rating of 88, she looks a candidate for the BetMGM Fillies & Mares final.
Heavenly Heather, who caused a 200/1 upset in last season’s BetMGM Fillies & Mares final, gained a notable scalp as she defeated 2023 Stewards’ Cup victor Aberama Gold in a sprint handicap at Newcastle. Tracy Waggott’s filly was following up a pair of runner-up finishes at the track in November.
Newcastle also witnessed a six-length victory from Without Compromise in a 10-furlong handicap, resulting in a 10lb rise to 83. The son of Frankel, who is related to G1 scorers Without Parole and Tamarkuz, has won three of his five starts at the course for Antony Brittain since the middle of October.
