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Marhaba Ghaiyyath caught the eye on the clock
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Pasha better than he showed last time
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Noteworthy jockey booking on Trais Fluors
A 28,000 guineas yearling, Marhaba Ghaiyyath is related to several winners, notably smart pair Fujaira Prince and Nichols Canyon (both stayed well), he shaped with a fair bit of promise on his debut over an extended mile at Wolverhampton last month.
He went like the best horse at the weights, held up in the rear in a race where the pace only picked up from halfway, the winner racing in a much more prominent position while Marhaba Ghaiyyath also had to wait for a gap two furlongs out.
Once in the clear, he quickened up nicely, only just failing to pick up the winner close home, and his performance can be upgraded further when taking sectionals into account. He was the only horse to run the last two furlongs under 23 seconds, while he was nearly a second quicker than the winner, earning himself the Timeform Sectional Flag.
You can make a strong argument he would have made a winning debut under better circumstances and, while he will stay further than a mile in time, that initial experience will have sharpened him up - he looks the most promising runner in this field.
Back Marhaba Ghaiyyath in the 12:27 Lingfield
Pasha, who cost €100,000 as a yearling, looks the part in the flesh - a well-made filly - and she built on previous promise when opening her account over an extended mile at Nottingham in August, enjoying the run of things from the front but also well on top at the line from another three-year-old filly who has progressed a chunk since.
Pasha also shaped very well in a steadily-run handicap over this course and distance last time, too, leaving the impression she has an even bigger performance in her locker.
She was easy to back on her return from 13 weeks off, but shaped encouragingly in a first-time tongue strap, for all she didn't look suited by the way things developed, even if she was stepping up in trip. Timeform's reporter awarded her the Horse In Focus Flag for that effort, marking her out as a horse to be interested in.
Pasha had to wait for a gap then looked a little outpaced once it came, but she has untapped potential over middle distances, particularly in a race not run at a dawdle. She has fared much better with the draw and is sure to strip fitter for that outing, so expect her to be ridden more prominently with that run under her belt and she can prove herself on a good mark.
Back Pasha in the 15:00 Lingfield
Trais Fluors goes especially at Newcastle - he's a three-time course and distance winner - and he improved on his recent efforts to take advantage of a reduced mark last month.
He was much shorter in the betting returned to the all-weather and was clearly liberated by being back on an artificial surface, making smooth headway over three furlongs out, produced to lead inside the final furlong and asserting from there.
The handicapper has raised him 3 lb for that success, but he is still very well treated on the pick of his efforts, and the booking of Daniel Muscutt really catches the eye.
The Timeform Jockey Uplift Flag has been attached and, interestingly, this will be just his second ride for the yard (the other was earlier this year on a 33/1 chance). Muscutt rides Newcastle well, operating at a 21% strike rate this season, and everything points to another big run from Trais Fluors.
Back Trais Fluors in the 19:00 Newcastle
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