Leicester Preview: Lobster Pot looks tasty on handicap debut

Trainer Hugo Palmer has enjoyed a terrific season and Lobster Pot looks weighted to provide him with another winner on handicap debut in the 1m 2f contest at Leicester today (5.40).

The filly has only had two starts, shaping with promise on debut when third on heavy ground at Salisbury on her sole run as a juvenile before winning in good style at Newcastle on seasonal reappearance.

Lobster Pot made all in the latter, and after being pushed into a clear lead a furlong from home kept on gamely to beat Dreaming Beauty by 3/4 of a length on ground officially described as good-to-soft.

The daughter of Dylan Thomas understandly got tired on what was her first run for 305 days and was value for more than the winning margin.

The first two home pulled five lengths clear of the third, and the runner-up has since come out and bolted up by three lengths on handicap debut off a rating of 70.

That gives the form a strong look, and suggests that Lobster Pot could well have got in lightly off an opening mark of just 71.

With further improvement assured, and soft ground conditions holding no fears, this looks a nice opportunity for Lobster Pot to follow-up.

In the 7f handicap (3.40), Modern Tutor can go well on just his second start for in-form trainer Andrew Balding.

The gelding had a progressive profile last season when trained by Sir Michael Stoute, winning a handicap on good-to-soft ground at Windsor before posting cracking efforts to finish runner-up in two competitive contests at Ascot and Haydock on soft ground.

In the first of those, Modern Tutor looked all over the winner until being headed in the final stride and beaten a head by Tinghir who has gone on to score twice this season and is now rated 100.

Modern Tutor then got chinned on the line again when beaten a neck by Gworn off his current mark of 92, and both those runs suggest that this afternoon’s 7f trip should be ideal.

Although well beaten on his first start for Balding back in June, Modern Tutor was clearly not right that day and has been given a break to freshen up.