Newmarket Preview: Etaab fancied for four-timer

Etaab has a progressive profile and holds outstanding claims of landing the four-timer in 1m handicap on this evening’s card at Newmarket (7.50).
The William Haggas trained filly shaped with bags of promise when sixth on debut at the track, and then had no difficulty in readily winning a 7f maiden at Lingfield.

Etaab made all and only had to be pushed out to score by 2 1/4 lengths, and followed up on handicap debut at Yarmouth when easily beating Halataion by 1/2 a length off an opening mark of 80.

The daughter of Street Cry then defied a 6lb rise in the weights when readily landing a class 3 contest over 7f at Doncaster, where she won with more in hand than the length margin suggests.

The handicapper appears to have been in a lenient mood in raising Etaab just 3lb for that win, especially with the step-up back to a mile looking sure to suit.
Although Etaab now faces three unexposed rivals who all won last time out, she is the only one of the quartet who has won in the grade and is going to be a tough nut to crack.

Kieren Fallon looks a significant booking to partner Warlu Way in the 1m 2f handicap (7.15), and the Mick Easterby trained seven-year-old can take advantage of a drop in the weights to land the spoils.
Fallon has a 37.5% strike rate when teaming up with the yard in the last 12 months, and now gets the leg up for the first time on a horse that is dangerously well-treated.

Warlu Way beat Franciscan in a class 4 contest at Carlisle last June off a mark of 85, and now gets into this class 5 contest off 11lb lower.
That makes the son of Sakhee potentially thrown-in on the pick of his form, and Warlu Way hinted that he could be coming back to form on his penultimate start when a staying staying on fifth of 10 to Rainbow Rock at Beverley after being slowly away.

In the 6f handicap that closes proceedings (8.20), Secret Witness is weighted to go well at a decent price on the pick of his form.

The Ron Harris trained gelding is a tough sort who is on a long losing run having not scored since landing a 6f contest at York back in May 2012 off a 94.

However, the eight-year-old has run a number of solid races to be placed in ultra competitive handicaps and having been rated as high as 106 now runs off just 92.