Thoughts on Dixie’s Double at Kempton today

Dixie’s Double runs in the 17.55 at Kempton this evening. George Wood rides in the six furlong apprentice handicap. George impressed last season and has spent the winter in California with an old friend of ours Leonard Powell riding plenty of track work and even a few races out there. He has come back and is getting plenty of rides so could well be an apprentice to follow in the coming months. Dixie will prefer the drop back to six furlongs here, last time out she failed miserably to stay seven furlongs. The draw hasn’t been particularly helpful (now effectively 7 of 8).

Looking at the opposition form is quite thin on the ground, Dixie is the soul previous winner in the field. Coping Stone finished a nose ahead of her at Lingfield over five furlongs two starts back and the pair just about set the standard on a repeat of that form. Sir Harry Collins stepped up on handicap debut on Saturday just going down a nose over six furlongs at Lingfield and looks the main danger. One also has to assume that Dulcina will take a big step forward on handicap debut as there is no other reason that connections would have sent her over from Ireland to run at Kempton on a Wednesday evening.