Bletchley a logical choice for 8 to Follow transfer window
Contestants in Qatar Racing's 8 to Follow competition which has a first prize of £10,000 have a 48-hour window in which to transfer up to two horses for each entry they have made.
The window opened at midnight this morning and will remain open until midnight tomorrow (Wednesday, June 22), and gives contestants the chance to insert horses who could be likely points winners in the coming months - some will have shown form in recent weeks. Each transferred horse costs £5, and, as with all entry fees, the money goes to Racing Welfare, the charity that helps people in need in the racing and bloodstock industries.
When the competition opened on QIPCO 2000 Guineas day at the start of May, each entry or stable had to include four two-year-olds, a particularly tricky element given that so few had run. Now is a chance to refresh with horses that have shown some prowess.
Top of that list has to be Bletchley, the Ralph Beckett-trained filly who won on good to firm ground at Nottingham, then went down by just a short-head when second in Royal Ascot's Albany Stakes (pictured below) on good to soft going. That versatility and ability should see her pick up more points as the season progresses.
Jack Flash, who is trained by Ger Lyons, ran well to take the runner-up spot at Down Royal on Saturday a much improved second trip to the races and while his stablemate, Lightening Fast, has yet to appear in public, he is a son of Frankel, whose first-crop runners have given their sire a superb start at stud. Lightening Fast is out of Lightening Pearl, who was Pearl Bloodstock's first Group One winner, so he has top-class ability on both sides of the family.
Also from Lyons's stable is Ready To Roc, who won at Dundalk, was unplaced at Cork, and then withdrawn from Royal Ascot's Windsor Castle Stakes on account of soft ground. He showed at Cork that he needs a better surface, but the winner of that race, Caravaggio, landed Royal Ascot's Coventry Stakes, and on a quick surface, Ready To Roc should be an 8 to Follow points earner.
Among older horses who will tempt transfer plans are Imperial Aviator, who was so impressive for Roger Charlton's stable at Newbury, and Lightning Spear, who finished third in the Gr.1 Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot on his debut for trainer David Simcock.
The Michael O'Callaghan-trained Now Or Never ran well to finish fourth in the Gr.1 Coronation Stakes at the Royal meeting having been third in the Gr.1 Irish 1,000 Guineas and there is a chance of picking up some points at Carlisle tomorrow (Wednesday) when Opal Tiara runs in a Listed race (16.10) for Mick Channon's yard. She would earn 40pts if successful in a Stakes race.
For a full list of horses eligible for transfer, and the latest standings, click on the 8 to Follow logo on the home page of this website, or go to www.8tofollow.com.
Picture of Bletchley: Laurence Squire