Bets of the Day: It's time for Collegiate to start to pay her way

Alan Thompson
19 September 2018

I expect to see these colours in the winners enclosure at Sandown

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Alan could only manage a second yesterday (traded 1.21/5 in running) but is looking to get straight back in the winners enclosure with two selections from Sandown and Yarmouth...

"She is going handicapping for her powerful connections and I am sure this will bring about the necessary improvement."

Back Collegiate @ 7/2 in the 16:55 at Sandown (Sportsbook)

I expect to see a marked improvement from Collegiate

Geetanjali has been running well in defeat recently for Michael Bell and while she is sure to be on the premises again, I want to take a chance with the lighter raced Collegiate from the Sir Michael Stoute yard. This Declaration Of War filly was an expensive £350,000 yearling and to be fair has shown very little in three starts in novice company to date. However, now she is going handicapping for her powerful connections, I am sure this will bring about the necessary improvement, she also has the first time blinkers fitted to try and get her more focused on the job in hand.

Khalid Abdullah doesn't have many runners operating at this low level and I am sure she won't be competing at this level for long. Geetanjali looks the one to beat but she seems to keep finding one better, but perhaps a bigger threat may come from another handicap debutant in the shape of Hyperactive, just the three starts to date and like the selection you would expect to see some improvement now handicapping. Also the James Fanshawe yard are going well at the minute and while she commands respect on her turf debut I think Collegiate is different class to these.

The visor can work again for Green Fortune

Robert Cowell made the decision to put the visor on Green Fortune for the first time last time out and it worked perfectly. His charge got up to win by a neck under a superbly timed ride by John Egan over today's course and distance. The visor is on again today and if it has a similar effect then he is going to be hard to beat, it is also interesting that the booking of Ryan Moore has been secured. He does have to carry an extra 3lbs this time but is also dropping in grade and looks like everything is in place for him to record back-to-back victories.

While it's not just a two horse race the one I think Green Fortune will have to get ahead of is Perfection for the powerful John Gosden team, Frankie Detorri is also on board and these two have done little wrong this season. But, I am not sure that this is the best trip for Perfection, she was beaten two and three quarters of a length last time out at Kempton over seven furlongs and at the time they were saying she is bred to get further being out of Dutch Art and Pivotal. It is therefore a bit confusing that she has been dropped back in trip on quick ground today, while it will be interesting to watch over this distance out of the two I would have to favour Green Fortune.