Lingfield Preview: Maverick can Wave goodbye to rivals

Maverick Wave has some strong for to his name and can enhance trainer John Gosden’s excellent strike-rate at Lingfield with victory in the 1m 2f handicap there today (2.35).

The Newmarket handler has been successful with just under 22% of his runners at the venue in the past 12 months and in Maverick Wave has a colt who is unexposed over middle distances and open to further improvement.

The son of Elusive Quality looked a smart prospect when winning on debut over 7f at Leicester in September 2013, racing prominently before showing a nice turn of foot to score by 2 1/4 lengths in a good time.

The three-year-old then overcame an absence of 317 days to score impressively by four lengths over a mile at this venue, and has since gone on to finish in the frame in three of his five subsequent starts.

Those runs include an excellent 1 1/4 length second of 27 to Bronze Angel in an ultra-competitive class 2 handicap at Ascot off a mark of 97, and the form of that race looks strong in the context of this contest.

Maverick Wave also ran well earlier in the month when not getting the best of passages before finishing third at Wolverhampton over 1m 1f, shaping as if today’s trip would suit.

I certainly think that Maverick Wave should be capable of winning a race of this nature off his current mark of 100, and with Rab Havlin in the saddle he looks the one they all have to beat.

In the 1m 2f handicap that open proceedings (12.00), Mcbirney is a fascinating contender now partnered by jockey Luke Morris for the first time.

The Paul D’Arcy trained gelding is a three-time winner on the polytrack surface, with his last success coming in a class 5 contest at Kempton in March 2013 when easily beating King Olav by five lengths off a mark of 69.

The seven-year-old now gets into this class 6 affair off 6lb lower having shaped really well in his last two starts, and the booking of Morris suggests connections mean business.

He has a 40% strike rate when teaming up with the yard in the past 12 months (4 wins and 2 placed from 10 rides) and looks the ideal partner to get the best out of Mcbirney.