Touleen up in trip in bid to finish season on a high Touleen has the chance to finish her season on a high when stepping up in distance for the Newmarket Pony Academy Pride Stakes on Friday. Always held in high regard, wins have become elusive for Owen Burrows’ three-year-old this term despite seconds on her return in the Fred Darling, at Ascot when denied a clear passage in the Coronation Stakes and again when dropping in distance at Doncaster for the Sceptre Stakes. She now goes the other way and will tackle 10 furlongs for the first time, something that could give connections timely cause to celebrate at the end of the 2026 season. Burrows said: “It’s a bit of an experiment, we’ve gone back down to seven and she wasn’t quite able to win over that and on her pedigree she should be going this far. “Before we wrap her up for the season we thought we’d test the waters over this distance. Hopefully she will be back next season, all being well. “It would be a nice way to end her season and she’s been a bit unfortunate. It’s not really been her season, but it would be nice to end it on a high.” Gosden Pair Seek Redemption John and Thady Gosden’s Oaks runner-up Legacy Link has a point to prove back in grade having finished last in the Yorkshire Oaks, while stablemate Naga was a somewhat surprise winner of Yarmouth’s John Musker. Also double-handed is William Haggas, who saddles both two-time novice winner Song Of The Clouds and the progressive Silver Lake who exits handicap company after recording a four-timer. Richard Brown of owners Wathnan Racing said of the latter: “She’s won four on the bounce and has gone through the handicaps and we will see how she takes to this step up in class. “She’s been very progressive, but this is a big field and a strong field as well, it is much deeper waters. But it will give us the chance to learn a lot more about her before the season ends.” Ralph Beckett’s On Message beat Prix de l’Opera winner Miss Scott on her penultimate outing, with other notable names including Gavin Cromwell’s Irish raider Snellen. Waiting On Favourable Ground One runner with strong form in the book but may see conditions go against her is Ed Bethell’s Noche Clasica, who was runner-up in the Atlanta Stakes before finding the ground not to her liking when a beaten favourite at Chantilly. Bethell said: “She was unlucky at Sandown in the Atalanta, but does want a bit of juice in the ground. We went to France thinking we’d get at worst good ground and it was harder than the A1. “We would probably want a bit more rain for her, if truth be known, and Newmarket haven’t got any. She’s an intended runner, but she really didn’t go on the faster ground last time so we might have a conversation after a couple of races just to check on the ground.”
