9:10 – Newbury – STAN JAMES HANDICAP (CLASS 4) (3yo 0-85) 1m4f5y
Anton Dolin steps up in class tonight after winning his last three starts. His trainer, John Dunlop also has a fine record in 3 year old Handicaps at Newbury with 12 wins from 51 runners since April 2005 giving a winning strike rate of 23.52%. A level stakes £10 bet on all of his runners in 3 year old Handicaps at Newbury shows a profit of £778.30.
Anton Dolin is a typical example of the type of horse that John Dunlop excels with. He improved steadily during his 2 year old campaign starting out over 7 furlongs in July and being stepped up to 1 mile at the backend of the campaign and running well to finish fourth in Soft ground at Yarmouth.
He was brought back out this season in April and stepped up to 1 mile 2 furlongs in Firm ground at Nottingham and he showed much better form over the longer trip, as his breeding (by Danehill Dancer) would suggest. He was unlucky in running, but when he found a gap he went on well to show his potential. Since then he has won his last three starts at Warwick, Goodwood and Newbury respectively and has shown marked improvement for every start. He ran over 1 mile 3 furlongs at Warwick and Goodwood and ran over today’s distance of 1 mile 4 furlongs when winning at Newbury on 9th June.
Tonight is he first venture into Class 4 company and he is also up in the weights from his last winning mark of 72 to a career high mark of 80. However, it is quite obvious that he is improving quickly and an 8lb rise plus a rise in Class may not stop him tonight. Interestingly he runs against Four Nations tonight who he beat by ¾ of a length last time out. They ran off level weights last time but Four Nations gets 2lbs off Anton Dolin tonight and the pair may well fight out the finish again.
