Road to winning form may be via Beverley for Valbchek

A lightly-raced four-year-old, he won his first two races and looked to have a huge future, especially as the second of those was one of the very valuable sales races at Newmarket.

He was later found wanting in Group class but sandwiched between two disappointing runs in Group Three company there was a good effort in Listed company at Doncaster when finishing less than four lengths behind Sole Power.

This year he did not return until early August and he shaped well after 10 months off when second in a conditions race at Doncaster and then back at Listed level at Newmarket he ran a solid enough race to finish fourth behind Tropics.

Admittedly Tropics ran no race in the Ayr Gold Cup but prior to that he was very much an in-form sprinter.

He will not have been far off running to his rating of 102 that day and while there are others in this rated higher, such as the veteran Borderlescott and Monsieur Joe, they have not come close to running to their ratings recently.

Kevin Ryan’s juveniles tend to improve a good deal for their first run and Blazers Rock looks another who could fall into that category in the British Stallion Studs EBF Maiden Stakes.

Sent off at 50-1 on his debut at Haydock over a mile, he stayed on pleasingly under hands and heels without ever seriously looking like troubling the principals in fifth place.

That was a typical Ryan introduction and while the form has yet to be tested, the second is rated 79 and the winner, Godolphin’s Gold Trail, has a mark of 81 for the future.

Neil Callan takes over from the inexperienced Shane Gray which is another plus.

Mark Johnston’s Skytrain disappointed last time out at Beverley but would not be the first from the yard to bounce back quickly and is worth siding with in the Apollobet Best Odds Guaranteed Handicap at Carlisle.

The three-year-old has already won seven handicaps this term so owes nobody anything and is on a career-high mark.

There is every possibility that his last run suggested he had done enough for the year but Johnston horses can go on longer than others, with Es Que Love being a case in point.

Last Shadow is a fascinating contender for Jonjo O’Neill in the Apollobet £50 Match Bet Handicap.

Smart for William Muir last season, he had three quiet runs over hurdles for new connections before injury curtailed his campaign. He is worth a small interest.

Godolphin’s Alpine Retreat may never repay his $500,000 price tag but he looks nap material in the Airey Miller Partnership/ebfstallions.com Maiden Stakes at Lingfield.

Second to Ralph Beckett’s Racing Post Trophy entry Lightning Spear on debut from a poor draw, he outran market expectations that day suggesting not too much was expected.

With that under his belt it will be disappointing if he is beaten.

Lady Cecil plans to be firmly active at the sales and would “love to win a Group One” next season after confirming she is to continue to train from the historic Warren Place stables in Newmarket.

Speculation had been rife about the potential future of the yard, for so long associated with Lady Cecil’s late husband Sir Henry Cecil.

Lady Cecil took over the licence on a temporary basis following the death of Sir Henry on June 11, and saddled her first winners just a few days later.

“I have spoken to our owners and our staff and confirmed that it is my intention to carry on as trainer at Warren Place,” Lady Cecil said on www.sirhenrycecil.com