Thoughts on Ellen Clacy

Ellen Clacy makes her Handicap debut today (Monday 2nd May) in the 5.45 at Windsor under Richard Kingscote. The filly has not shown herself in the best of light on the racecourse, running very green on all her starts to date. We have reached for the cheekpieces to get her to focus more fully on the task at hand. We have also stepped her up in trip. The idea being that everything will happen half a stride slower and she will find it easier to get involved. It isn’t a given on pedigree she will stay this far, but we shall learn more.

The race looks typical of an early season three year old handicap. It features many lightly raced horses stepping up in trip for the first time. The Writer had a few of these behind him at Wolverhampton and that form probably sets the bar here. Whatasurprize showed enough over shorter trips when qualifying for a mark to suggest that switched to handicaps she should be capable of winning races. Her pedigree also indicates that the step up in distance is likely to be a positive to her chances.

Ellen Clacy runs for her owners Diskovery Partnership IX. She will be led up by Ilse Belien who cares for her daily at home whilst overseen by travelling manager Shaun Johnson.