Lingfield Preview: Double chance for Dascombe

Trainer Tom Dascombe does well with his runners at Lingfield and looks to hold decent claims of landing a double on today’s card with Ballista and Marmalad.

The Cheshire based handler has a near 20 per cent strike rate with his runners at the Surrey venue in the past 12 months and, in Ballista, has a sprinter who has become dangerously well handicapped and could prove tough to catch in the 5f feature contest (2.30).

This six-year-old loves to blaze a trail and there is every chance of an uncontested lead in today’s small field, as he is the only confirmed front runner in the line-up.

If that proves to be the case, then Ballista could prove hard to peg back as he has been given a massive chance by the handicapper.

The son of Majestic Missile was last successful in a conditions’ contest at Wolverhampton off an official rating of 102, and now gets into this class 2 affair off just 95.

That is Ballista’s lowest rating in over two years, and gives the gelding – who was once rated as high as 109 – outstanding claims at the weights.

Ballista also comes into the contest on the back of two solid efforts over 6f, and the drop back to 5f should suit given the make-up of this contest.

Connections have also employed the services of young jockey Patrick Vaughan to do the steering and, taking his 7lb claim into account, Ballista is simply too well-treated to ignore in what looks a very winnable contest.

Marmalad scored in good style last time out over course and distance, and looks capable of defying a rise in the weights to follow up in the 1m nursery (1.00).

The two-year-old showed plenty of speed to chase the leaders before running on strongly to comfortably beat Cascading Stars with more in hand than a 1 3/4 lengths winning margin suggests.

That was just Marmalad’s second run on a synthetic surface following a solid second on the Tapeta at Wolves, and the colt looks the type who could turn into an all-weather specialist.