Monday 30 March 2015 21:21, UK
Newmarket trainer Ed Vaughan is hoping Primrose Valley can crown a memorable winter campaign in the £150,000 Unibet Three-Year-Old Sprint over five furlongs at Lingfield Park on All-Weather Championships Finals Day, Good Friday, April 3.
The daughter of Pastoral Pursuits has won all four of her starts during this season's championships and was last seen out when getting up in the dying strides to deny Harry Hurricane by a neck in a Fast-Track Qualifier at Wolverhampton.
Primrose Valley followed up six-furlong handicap successes at Kempton and Lingfield when beating another likely rival, Merdon Castle, in a five-furlong conditions race back at Lingfield Park in February.
Vaughan reported: "Primrose Valley is in good order and seems as well as she was going into her other races.
"She did a little bit of work on Saturday and I was pleased with her. The thing about her is that she only does enough and she will just do routine canters in the run up to Good Friday.
"Freddie (Tylicki, jockey) felt she was not as good around Wolverhampton as she was around Lingfield. It was a good performance because turning in and even a furlong out I was thinking maybe we had gone to the well too many times, but she showed real guts and determination to get up.
"I suppose she has got to be one of the market leaders because she has beaten everything put in front of her and is taking on most of the same horses."
Vaughan and Primrose Valley's owner/breeder is Alan Pickering, recently elected the next vice-president of the Racehorse Owners Association and a great supporter of All-Weather Racing.
There are 13 confirmations for the Three-Year-Old Sprint and Godolphin's Portamento is the 7/4 favourite with Sky Bet. Primrose Valley (3/1) is next in the market ahead of Harry Hurricane (7/1) and Merdon Castle (8/1).
Other notables include Blue Aegean (10/1), who beat Mignolino (16/1) comfortably in a course and distance handicap on March 20, and the consistent Anonymous John (16/1).
