David Simcock’s Fatima’s Gift is strongly fancied at 4/1 to open her account in the 4.00 at Ffos Las today.
The filly shaped with plenty of promise on her sole run as a juvenile last season when finishing fifth of 17 to Great Timing in a deent maiden at Newmarket and has shown steadily progressive form in four outings this year.
She ran very well on her reapperance when fourth of 10 to Fersah in a maiden at Leicester where she kept on well after finding herself short of room tobe beaten 4 3/4 lengths, and then seemed unsuited by the track next time up at Epsom when fourth of 7 to Rosie Probert.
The daughter of Dalakhani then had her attention switched to handicaps and put in an improved effort to finish a keeping on 1/2 length second of 10 to Raskova at Newbury off a mark of 70.
She then ran better than her final finishing position suggests last time out at Yarmouth when runner-up to Nullarbor Sky in a 3 runner contest where she allowed the winner to dominate in a slowly run affair and conceded first run before staying on to be beaten 2 1/2 lengths.
Although she has been put up 2lb to a mark of 72 since that run it was a solid effort in trying to concede in in-form winner 10lb and I think that she should be more than capable of winning a race of this nature off it.
Another plus is that her handler has a tremendous strike rate of 26% at the track (42 runners, 11 wins, 13 places) since it opened in 2009, and she also now gets the services of Jim Crowley (24% strike rate for the yard) in the saddle for the first time.
Daily Sport recommended bet: 3pts win Fatima’s Gift (4/1 Stan James – BOG)
