[an error occurred while processing this directive] epsom derby 2013 /

Investec Specialist Bank ‘Dash’ Target for La Fortunata
01/05/13

A total of 59 entries have been received for the £100,000 Investec Specialist Bank ‘Dash’, run over the fastest five furlongs in the world at Epsom Downs on Investec Derby Day, Saturday, June 1.

Captain Dunne
© Racehorse Photos

Epsom Downs specialist La Fortunata, trained by Mike Murphy, went close to winning the Investec Specialist Bank ‘Dash’ in 2011 when third to Captain Dunne and the six-year-old will attempt to go two places better this year. Both La Fortunata and Captain Dunne are 16/1 chances with Coral, official betting partner of the 2013 Investec Derby Festival.

The daughter of Lucky Story has not finished out of the first four in five starts at Epsom Downs and was narrowly denied when beaten a short-head by the Ted Powell-trained Ajjaadd (14/1 with Coral) in a thrilling renewal of the Investec Wealth & Investment Handicap over the same course and distance at the Investec Spring Meeting on April 24.

Murphy said: “I am pleased with La Fortunata. She takes a while to recover after her races because she is not the biggest filly in the world but she has recovered reasonably well since her run last week.

“We will give her a couple of weeks’ break and then the intention is to go straight for the Investec Specialist Bank ‘Dash’.

“We thought she would need the run last week but she ran a cracking race and if all goes according to plan, she ought to give a good account of herself on Derby Day. The handicapper has put her up three pounds for that second last week, which is slightly against us, but she should get in off a nice weight and that will suit her.

“She is extremely well-balanced and has done well at the track before because she handles the undulations better than the bigger horses.

“We call her the pocket rocket because she is only small, but she hits the stalls really well and you need to do that in a five-furlong race. Obviously, you need a good draw and luck in running but you need to be in it to win as they say.”

Fair Value
© Racehorse Photos

Fair Value (20/1), trained locally by Simon Dow, is also being targeted at the contest after winning over the course and distance in July. The five-year-old lost nothing in defeat when narrowly beaten by David Barron’s Long Awaited (14/1) in a similar contest the following month.

Dow said: “Fair Value has done really well over the winter and is being aimed at the Investec Specialist Bank ‘Dash’.

“She will have her first run of the season at Goodwood on Saturday and I would expect her to come on for that.

“She seems to enjoy running at Epsom and it is right on our doorstep. She has bags of speed and is probably better over five furlongs. The ground is not that important to her but she wouldn’t want it soft.”

The entries also feature last year’s shock winner Stone Of Folca (12/1 co favourite), who belied his odds of 50/1 for trainer John Best. The Hucking handler could also run Lupo d’Oro.

Tim Easterby enjoyed a memorable one-two in 2011 when Captain Dunne defied top-weight and a late thrust from stable companion Confessional (16/1) to score by a neck. The pair are among Easterby’s quartet and could be joined by Ponty Acclaim and Hazelrigg.

Tax Free
© Racehorse Photos

Sprint king Dandy Nicholls accounts for nine of the entries, headed by 2009 Investec Specialist Bank ‘Dash’ hero Indian Trail and the evergreen Tax Free. Nicholls has an enviable record with sprinters and has won the race three times in the past 11 years.

Newmarket trainer Stuart Williams has won two of the last six renewals with Hogmaneigh (2007) and Bertoliver (2010), and his three possible representatives include Tarooq (16/1), who has won five of his last six starts.

Italian imports Pandar and Jiroft are two of three possible starters for Robert Cowell. The latter is yet to run in Britain but showed a high level form in Italy and won a Listed contest at San Siro in April last year.

Leading owner Dr Marwan Koukash could launch a three-pronged attack with Group Two victor Masamah, Jamie Osborne’s Portland Handicap runner-up Face The Problem (12/1 co favourite), and Tango Sky.

Henry Candy has made a fine start to the turf season and could saddle Dinkum Diamond (16/1), while Duke Of Firenze (16/1) could be a rare runner in the Investec Specialist Bank ‘Dash’ for Sir Michael Stoute.

Other notable entries are last year’s Group One Nunthorpe Stakes fourth Humidor (14/1), Brian Meehan’s classy Ballesteros (20/1) and Group Two runner-up Stepper Point from the stable of William Muir.

The in-form yard of David O’Meara could be represented by Smoothtalkinrascal (12/1 co favourite), a close second at SandownPark on April 26.

There are also two Irish-trained entries in the form of Nero Emperor, from the stable of Tommy Stack, and All Ablaze, who is chasing a four-timer for Damian English.

Investec Dash – Coral bet: 12 Face The Problem, Masamah, Smoothtalkinrascal, Stone Of Folca, 14 Ajjaadd, Annunciation, Humidor, Long Awaited, 16 Captain Dunne, Confessional, Dinkum Diamond, Duke Of Firenze, La Fortunata, Tarooq, Mister Manannan, 20 Ballesteros, Fair Value, Swiss Cross, Last Sovereign, Top Cop, Strange Magic, 25 Bar

THE INVESTEC SPECIALIST BANK ‘DASH’

Class 2, £100,000 Total Prize Fund. 3.15pm, Saturday, June 1, 2013. Five furlongs. For three-year-olds and upwards. Weights: highest weight not less than 9st 10lb; lowest weight 8st. Penalties: after May 4, a winner 4lb; a winner of 2 races 7lb. Entries closed April 30, entries revealed May 1 (59 entries). Weights revealed May 8, scratchings deadline May 14, five-day confirmation stage May 27, final declaration stage 10.00am, May 30. Form figures supplied by Weatherbys and are correct up to and including the racing of Monday, April 29.

Form   Horse   Age Owner    Trainer

35(3)(5)(3)-1 AJJAADD (USA) 7 Katy & Lol Pratt   Ted Powell

3(0)01(1)-(1) ALL ABLAZE (IRE) 3 Joseph English   Damian English IRE

0103-(0)1  ANNUNCIATION 3 MiddlehamPark Racing XXXIX & James Pak Richard Hannon

22(2)-(0)40  ASK THE GURU 3 Canisbay Bloodstock   Michael Attwater

113640-  BALLESTEROS 4 Poilin Good    Brian Meehan

222-(1)62  BISPHAM GREEN 3 David Armstrong   Richard Fahey

(0)-(5)(1)(2)(4)0  BLUE JACK  8 Darren Hudson-Wood  Stuart Williams

000(0)-25  CADEAUX PEARL 5 Paul Dixon    Scott Dixon

000020-  CAPTAIN DUNNE (IRE) 8 MiddlehamPark Racing XV & Partners Tim Easterby

14532-1  CHEWOREE  4 S Stoneham,E Van Cutsem, A Hoctor-Duncan David Elsworth

4200(1)-0  CHURCH MUSIC (IRE) 4 JCG Chua & CK Ong   Michael Scudamore

(1)131-20  COME ON DAVE (IRE) 4 MiddlehamPark Racing XLIV David Nicholls

44-0054  CONFESSIONAL 6 Terry & Margaret Holdcroft  Tim Easterby

(4)(0)(1)(1)(0)2 CREW CUT (IRE) 5 Coral Champions Club  Jeremy Gask

015200-  DAM BEAUTIFUL 4 Mrs J Ryan    Kevin Ryan

605310-  DINKUM DIAMOND (IRE) 5 Eight Star Syndicate  Henry Candy

3005(1)(6)-  DOCTOR PARKES 7 Mrs S Mason & Partners  Stuart Williams

(4)(4)(3)(4)(0)0 DORBACK  6 Sara Hattersley   David Nicholls

01265-0  DUKE OF FIRENZE 4 CheveleyPark Stud   Sir Michael Stoute

0002-00  EXCEL BOLT  5 Elders, Turton, Rhodes & Smart Bryan Smart

122215-  FACE THE PROBLEM (IRE) 5 Dr Marwan Koukash  Jamie Osborne

016200-  FAIR VALUE (IRE) 5 Don & Val Churston   Simon Dow

03350-0  FITZ FLYER (IRE) 7 Mike Browne    David Nicholls

32U(0)0-0  FLASH CITY (ITY) 5 Ceffyl Racing    Bryan Smart

100000-  HAZELRIGG (IRE) 8 The Senators    Tim Easterby

640-642  HUMIDOR (IRE) 6 M Khan X2    George Baker

06001-6  INDIAN TRAIL 13 Martin Love    David Nicholls

110303-  JIROFT (ITY) 6 Thomas Morley & Speedlic Racing Robert Cowell

003006-  JUDGE ‘N JURY 9 Robert & Nina Bailey   Ronald Harris

10456-2  LA FORTUNATA 6 James Patton    Mike Murphy

(6)(2)(4)(5)-22 LAST SOVEREIGN 9 Richard Walker   Ollie Pears

004132-  LONG AWAITED (IRE) 5 Peter Jones    David Barron

50201-5  LUPO D’ORO (IRE) 4 S Malcolm M Winwright P Tindall John Best

31500-4  MAJESTIC MANANNAN (IRE) 4 Mark & Maureen Schofield David Nicholls

032025-  MASAMAH (IRE) 7 Dr Marwan Koukash   Marco Botti

3/0000-1  MISTER MANANNAN (IRE) 6 Mrs M Schofield   David Nicholls

(1)(3)-(4)(2)(1)3 MY SON MAX 5 Racing To The Max   P J O’Gorman

4(0)(1)/(0)-0  NERO EMPEROR (IRE) 4 Pension Fund Syndicate  Tommy Stack IRE

54230-4  NORMAL EQUILIBRIUM 3 Qatar Racing Limited  Robert Cowell

005-000  PABUSAR  5 Ken Gundlach   Jamie Osborne

2320(0)-5  PANDAR  4 The Morley Family   Robert Cowell

003300-  PONTY ACCLAIM (IRE) 4 Calvert, O’Neill & Partner  Tim Easterby

0(5)(0)(0)(2)(0)- POWERFUL WIND (IRE) 4 Anthony Cooke   Ronald Harris

(5)3-40  QUEEN FLUSH (IRE) 3 T Marnane & C Mills A Fallon G Purchase David Nicholls

203-(4)(1)5  SANDFRANKSKIPSGO 4 Peter Crate    Peter Crate

1060-12  SMOOTHTALKINRASCAL (IRE) 3 MiddlehamPark Racing XXXVIII David O’Meara

00000-5  STEPPER POINT 4 Clive Edginton   William Muir

100052-  STONE OF FOLCA 5 Folkestone Racecourse Owners Group John Best

02550-0  STORM MOON (USA) 3Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Al Maktoum Mark Johnston

600124-  STRANGE MAGIC (IRE)3 MiddlehamPark Racing LX  Richard Fahey

(0)(5)(0)(0)64 SWISS CROSS 6 Steve Jakes    Phil McEntee

2230-(0)5  TAAJUB (IRE) 6 Peter Crate    Peter Crate

(0)(0)-(4)(6)0(1) TANGO SKY (IRE) 4 Dr Marwan Koukash   David Nicholls

(1)-(1)(1)(1)(1)(3) TAROOQ (USA) 7 H Chamberlain, I Pearce  Stuart Williams

10020-0  TAX FREE (IRE) 11 David Nicholls & Mrs J Love  David Nicholls

0040-63  THREES GRAND 3 Paul Dixon & Jayne Jackson  Scott Dixon

06(3)(0)-(0)4 TITUS GENT  8 The Rock & Rollers   Jeremy Gask

0/03000-  TOP COP  4 Jeff Smith    Andrew Balding

5006-(0)(0)  VERINCO  7 Bryan Smart    Bryan Smart

59 entries

2 Irish-trained