Sport

Gay Breeze to exploit weights

Gay Breeze can put the wind up the handicapper by completing a four-timer in the Northern Rock Gosforth Park Cup over five furlongs…

Fri Jun 26 1998 - 01:00

Gay Breeze can put the wind up the handicapper by completing a four-timer in the Northern Rock Gosforth Park Cup over five furlongs at Newcastle today. Shrewdly-placed by trainer Paul Felgate to take advantage of a lenient mark, the free-running five-year-old has notched up a hat-trick with victories at Nottingham, Doncaster and Haydock.

Now comes his biggest test in this hotly-contested £25,000 sprint handicap, but Gay Breeze only has to carry a featherweight despite having struck a rich vein of form.

He has been allotted 7 st 13 lb and that will be reduced by Dean Mernagh's 7 lb allowance. Mernagh is the fourth different jockey to partner Gay Breeze.

Polly Golightly, another of the bottom end of the handicap, looks the one to beat. Mick Blanshard's five-year-old mare is also in good heart having won her last two starts.

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Daring Destiny can prove she is no back number by showing her four younger rivals a clean pair of hooves in the Sunley Fillies' Conditions' Stakes at Newmarket this afternoon.

Karl Burke's seven-year-old mare won the Ayr Gold Cup in 1994 and was a smart performer the following year but steadily lost her form and looked a spent force last season.

But she appeared to have rediscovered her zip when finishing third to Gaelic Storm and Double Action over six furlongs at York on her seasonal debut two weeks ago.

Connections will have been delighted with that performance and Daring Destiny may have too much guile for the three-year-olds Nadwah and Vignette, who may provide the stiffest opposition.

Teroom, on the other hand, can strike a blow for the younger generation in the Port of Felixstowe Handicap.

Alec Stewart's three-year-old was a comfortable odds-on winner of his maiden at Pontefract in April and made a satisfactory handicap bow when third to Aspirant Dancer at Haydock.

Lady Rockstar can record her seventh handicap victory in less than a month by taking the Shepway Handicap at Folkestone.

Since opening her account at Ayr on May 28th, Mick Ryan's filly has scored at Folkestone, Haydock, Yarmouth, Nottingham and Windsor.