Wolverhampton Preview: Duchess handicapped to deliver

Duchess Of Gazeley has become dangerously well-treated and can take advantage of a drop in class to get back on the winning trail in the extended 1m 5f handicap at Wolverhampton today (3.40).

The filly won for times last season when trained by Gary Harrison, with the last of those successes coming in a 1m 6f contest on the turf at Redcar where she slammed Perfect Summer by 4 1/2 lengths off a mark of 74.

This four-year-old joined Dean Ivory after that success and ran well to finish runner-up in the class 2 contest at Newmarket off 85.

Duchess Of Gazeley backed that up with two solid placed efforts in class 2 contests on the polytrack surface at Lingfield off 86, and now gets into this lower grade class 4 contest off a rating of just 80.

It gives the daughter of Halling major claims from a handicapping perspective, and she is sure to strip much fitter for a a recent spin at Newamrket in a class 3 contest.

That was Duchess of Gazeley’s first run for six months, and should have put her spot on for this.

With Seb Sanders, who steered Duchess Of Gazeley to her last last success, once again in the saddle, she looks the one they all have to beat.

Lean On Pete is another that has been given a chance by the handicapper and can go well at a decent price in the 1m 1f apprentice contest that kicks-off proceedings (2.10).

This Ollie Pears trained gelding is a four-rime winner at the venue on the old polytrack surface, and is now running off his lowest mark in 16 months.

The five-year-old’s current rating of 70 is 2lb lower than when the son of Oasis Dream was last successful on the fibresand surface at Southwell back in March.

Lean On Pete also showed he could handle the new Tapeta surface at this track when a decent fifth of 12 to Gambino last time out, and this race is likely to be run at a strong gallop which will suit his come-from-behind run style.