Newmarket's Cambridgeshire meeting has seen the inflating and denting of many a juvenile reputation down the years, and Thursday's G3 Tattersalls S. is poised as the crossroads for the unbeaten Escobar (Ire) (Famous Name {GB}). Taking his record to two-for-two in Newbury's Listed Washington Singer S. over this trip last time Aug. 13, the Hugo Palmer-trained bay faces a stiffer task here, but his handler said he believes he is capable of handling it. “I think, and hope, that Escobar is improving all the time,” he said. “We have been very pleased with his work and what he shows us at home makes me hopeful of a very big run. He is very much a horse for next year and has lots of speed, like most good horses do. The dream is that he will make up into a Guineas horse for next season and he is entered in the Derby, too.”
Michael Tabor's silks are sported by the $1.15-million Whitecliffsofdover (War Front), who scored impressively over this trip at Naas at the start of August, while another unexposed type who promises more is the Aug. 12 Newbury maiden scorer Ultimate Avenue (Ire) (Excelebration {Ire}). “He's a colt we've always thought the world of. He's done everything extremely well at home,” trainer Ed Walker explained. “Obviously it's a big step up with horses with more experience and very good form in the book. He's a really exciting prospect and he's a next year's horse, but I wouldn't be surprised if he ran a big race. This will probably be his last run of the year. He's a big boy and very much one for next year. The dream would be for him to win and then dream about another 2000 Guineas over the winter.”
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