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A talented field of three-year-old fillies will line up in this year’s renewal of the Canterbury BMW P J Bell Stakes (1200m) today, where Catkins looks well placed to return to the winners circle.
Photo by Racing and Sports
The Chris Waller-trained runner has always shown ability in her short career and kicked off this preparation with a win in the Listed Fireball Quality (1100m) before a luckless run in the Group 3 Birthday Card Stakes last time out.
Catkins finished eighth on that occasion, beaten 4.5L by Arinosa, but a return to her first up form where she ran a Timeform figure of 106 should prove too good in this company.
Arinosa has since gone on to strengthen the form of the Birthday Card with a demolition 4.5L win in the Group 2 Sapphire Stakes last Saturday.
Catkins, a daughter of Dubawi kicked off her racing career with a dominant win by three lengths as a two-year-old, with her debut preparation culminating in a 2.5L seventh in the Group 2 Magic Night Stakes behind Ichihara.
She came back an even better three-year-old, winning three of her four starts last preparation and running second on the other occasion.
Although being a competitive race this looms as a much easier task from what she took on in her last two and her recent form rates on top for weight Adjusted Timeform ratings.
Top Sydney jockey Jim Cassidy goes on board for the first time and she has won over the trip previously.
With a bit of speed likely in this, Catkins should be able to settle off the pace and only giving away a maximum 1.5kg to the rest of the field should be getting to the line well enough to win.
Brave Soul from the Joseph Pride stables looms as the main danger, placing at listed company in her last two outings. She was held-up at the 350m in the Darby Munro Stakes last start but still got to the line well, only beaten 0.2L.
That effort yielded a Timeform rating of 97 and getting 1.5kg off Catkins today is likely to be fighting out the finish again.
The More Than Ready filly has had six starts over the distance previously, placing in five of them and her only win from 11 starts has come over 900m.
Her winning strike rate of one from 11 is of concern but she has only missed the placings three times.
Brave Soul in ready to fire fourth up and will more than likely get back in the field before running on strongly. She definitely has claims in this but not sure she will be able to rundown Catkins.
Gullible, a half sister to Group performer Rain Affair and a stablemate to Catkins appears to be the most intriguing runner of the race.
She has won three of her four career starts and resumes from a spell here to tackle her most difficult task to date.
The Chris Waller-trained runner was last seen when winning a Benchmark 71 at Rosehill where she ran a Timeform rating of 89, beating home the highly regarded Bennetta.
Gullible will run off the same weight as Brave Soul and will need to show considerable improvement to match it with the top couple of chances.
Only lightly raced, the daughter of Shamardal has plenty of scope to improve and from barrier 4 will put herself in the race and is likely to take running down.
With Brave Soul and Catkins having more experience in high quality races, it would be a gamble to expect Gullible to knock them off here but she is likely to give a good account of herself and with some improvement will give them something to think about.
Behind these three there are a host of each way chances including Omniscient from the Peter Snowden stable who resumed well with a second placing at Randwick. She was credible enough in group and listed company last preparation and on best form can make her presence felt.
She has finished in the money both runs at this course, the only concern being three runs at the trip for no placings.
Ciao another with each way claims will make the step up in class here but has been racing well in the benchmarks.
She scored a win when resuming at Canterbury and has since gone on to place in her last two where she has run a Timeform figure of 91 on both occasions.
She drops back to the 1200m where she has won two races preciously, and at odds would not be surprised to see her fill the placings in this.
On past form the only one who has run higher than Catkins is Diamond Earth who possesses a peak Timeform rating of 107, run as a two-year-old. She has failed to come back as a three-year-old however and on what she has produced of late will not play a part in this.