We provide an overview of the key things to note on the racing front on Friday afternoon.
Three points of interest
Big improvers clash at Newbury
The fillies' conditions stakes (14:25) at Newbury is a race to watch as it features two impressive debut winners who have the Timeform 'Large P' symbol to highlight they are capable of significantly better.
Anna Swan is bred to stay well being a daughter of Almanzor out of a mare who was placed in the Park Hill Stakes over an extended mile and three-quarters, but she showed a good turn of foot to readily assert over seven furlongs at Yarmouth and impressively drew five and a half lengths clear.
She's a good prospect but is up against a rival in Cathedral who also created a superb impression on debut at Lingfield. The €800,000 breeze-up buy was all the rage in the betting and looked something out of the ordinary as she quickened sharply, clocking a good closing sectional as she motored four and a quarter lengths clear.
If Anna Swan and Cathedral build on those efforts as expected it could take a useful performance to prevail.
Crisfords send Coto de Caza on long trip to Ayr
The Crisford stable has had only 11 runners at Ayr since the start of 2019, but four of those horses won to make the long journey from Newmarket worthwhile.
Coto de Caza is the yard's only runner at Ayr on Friday and she looks to have been found a suitable opportunity in the listed Harry Rosebery Stakes (15:05) as she is 3 lb clear at the head of Timeform's weight-adjusted ratings based on what she showed in a fillies' conditions race at Goodwood last time.
Coto de Caza was also awarded the Horse In Focus Flag, marking her as one likely to be of interest next time, based on the style of that emphatic two-and-a-half-length success, and there should still be better to come from this progressive filly who retains the Timeform 'small p'.
Key jockey change for Annandale
Annandale (17:20 Ayr) is on a lengthy losing run that stretches back to when he won at this meeting in 2021 but he's much lower in the weights nowadays and there have been signs of promise since he rejoined Jim Goldie this season.
Annandale was a big eye-catcher when making good late headway under an inexperienced 7 lb apprentice at Carlisle last month and he also shaped well under the same rider when fourth at Musselburgh on Saturday, faring best of those held up despite meeting trouble.
It looks significant, therefore, that Paul Mulrennan, the winningmost jockey at Ayr since the start of 2019, now takes over in the saddle for the first time this year.
Annandale may not be the force of old but he is 26 lb lower than his last winning mark and has shown enough to suggest that he's capable of taking advantage of this much-reduced mark when the cards fall in his favour, so he's an interesting runner with a more experienced rider taking over.
Tip of the Day
Coto de Caza - 15:05 Ayr
Flags: Horse In Focus, Top-Rated
Coto de Caza has shown run-by-run improvement and was especially impressive when a decisive winner of a conditions race at Goodwood last time. Coto de Caza tanked her way through that race and quickly settled matters after being produced to lead a furlong out, ultimately passing the post two and a half lengths clear and in an excellent time. That form places her 3 lb clear at the head of Timeform's weight-adjusted ratings here and, with the prospect of even better to come, she is expected to take this before making her mark in Group company.
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