Racing preview for Wednesday, May 18

Blenheim Warrior can banish memories of a luckless outing at Newbury last week by winning the RBS 'Confined' Handicap at Bath.
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Richard Hughes’ grey colt was well fancied on his handicap debut, having been backed into 5-2 favouritism, but little went right and lots went wrong.

Blenheim Warrior firstly missed the break, after which he was far too keen for his own good.

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Despite that, the four-year-old was still in contention two furlongs from home but found his path blocked when jockey Stephen Cummins went for broke.

The son of Galileo ended up finishing second in what was quite a good mile-and-a-half handicap, so that must go down as a pretty sound effort after such a troubled passage from virtually the outset.

Blenheim Warrior has to handle this quicker ground, while he obviously needs to settle a little better.

Should that be the case on both counts, he will take some stopping off what looks a fair mark of 65.

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The return to seven furlongs should do for Bookmaker in the 32Red On The App Store Handicap at Kempton.

John Bridger’s six-year-old has been running satisfactorily of late, but he will be much happier with his lot by dropping down in distance.

After all, the last time he was campaigned over this trip yielded a half-length victory at Lingfield in February off just a 2lb lower mark.

With William Carson still in the saddle, all the lights look green in what is a pretty bad race.

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A fine field has been assembled for the British Stallion Studs EBF Tennent’s Rothesay Stakes at Ayr, with Lustrous a tentative call.

An argument can be made for most of the 14 runners in this Listed heat, but David O’Meara’s new recruit is not the highest-rated horse in the field on a whim.

* Selections:

Ayr: 1.30 Book Of Poetry, 2.00 Mystical King, 2.35 Cranberry Park, 3.10 Hakam, 3.45 Beautiful Stranger, 4.20 Lustrous, 4.55 Anonymous Lady, 5.25 Indian Giver.

Bath: 1.50 Pack It In, 2.20 Uncle Dermot, 2.55 Mahfooz, 3.30 BLENHEIM WARRIOR (NAP), 4.05 Celestial Dancer, 4.40 Battaash, 5.15 Zeeoneandonly, 5.50 Swirral Edge.

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Kempton: 5.55 Viserion, 6.25 Destroyer, 6.55 Magical Forest, 7.25 Fallen For A Star, 7.55 Important Point, 8.25 Bookmaker, 8.55 Triple Dream.

Southwell: 5.40 Rock Of Leon, 6.15 Such A Legend, 6.45 Fit The Brief, 7.15 Cottersrock, 7.45 Young Lou, 8.15 Pass On The Mantle, 8.45 Magic Bullet.

Warwick: 2.10 Midnight Tour, 2.45 Like Sully, 3.20 Ready Token, 3.55 The Tourard Man, 4.30 Storm Of Swords, 5.05 Iftiraaq, 5.35 River Wylde.

Double: Blenheim Warrior and Lustrous.