Royal runner Lightning Polka out to strike at Ayr

Following an impressive debut at Haydock only a fortnight ago, Lightning Polka will look to carry the royal colours to Group Three success in the Ladbrokes-sponsored Firth Of Clyde at Ayr on Saturday.

The daughter of Night Of Thunder is one of the first horses sent to trainer Ed Walker by the King and Queen and made a perfect start to her career on Merseyside.

Her handler is well aware she has much more on her plate in Scotland this weekend, but is hoping she can prove up to the task.

Speaking at Newbury on Friday, Walker said: “It’s a big day and she was really impressive at Haydock on her debut.

“I think she’ll be OK on the ground, even though Tom (Marquand) said it was a bit dead and tacky when he rode there on Thursday.

“I think she’ll improve again from this run and we’ve not done a lot since Haydock as this comes quick enough. I would have loved it to have been three weeks since her debut rather than two, but she’s a nice filly and she was really straightforward and professional first time.

“It’s a dream to train for the King and Queen and she was actually our first two-year-old to have a setback, which I couldn’t believe.

“I was so excited to train two horses for the King and Queen and I have a very nice filly who is a bit backward and then Lightning Polka, who is more of a two-year-old type. She went and picked up a niggle early, but luckily she got over that quickly and she’s exciting.”

One of the biggest threats to Lightning Polka appears to be dual winner Coming Attraction, who won a hot conditions race at Chester last time and represents the thriving Roger Varian string.

Also in the mix is Richard Fahey’s Catching The Moon, who had to settle for second behind Albany Stakes runner-up Awaken on her Leicester debut before readily dispatching a subsequent winner at Beverley at the second time of asking.

Fahey believes the No Nay Never filly may not realise her full potential until next season, but is keen to test the waters at a higher level before the end of her juvenile campaign.

“We do like her but I’m not sure how she will cope with the ground if it’s on the slow side,” he said.

“We’re happy to run her and see what happens. I think her first run was quite good and we feel we would probably beat the winner if we met again and then the race at Beverley which she won will have done her the world of good, so we’ve been pleased with her.

“She’s a filly for next year really and I didn’t want to run her too many times, but I needed to run her again so I thought I may as well run her in a good race and see how she gets on.”

A total of 15 two-year-old fillies go to post on the west coast of Scotland, with other notable names including Simon and Ed Crisford’s Lowther fourth Dandana, Ed Bethell’s easy Catterick winner Rogue Attraction and George Boughey’s unbeaten three-time winner India Love.

There is also competitive action, albeit with less runners, in the Listed Ladbrokes “Big Football Bet Builder Boosts” Doonside Cup, where Andrew Balding’s Feilden Stakes winner Almeric makes his first appearance since impressing at Newmarket in April.

He is the likely favourite in a field of six for a 10-furlong contest in which William Haggas is represented by Caviar Heights, with the Somerville Lodge handler hoping conditions remain suitable for a four-year-old who has suffered successive narrow defeats at Listed level in the Gala Stakes and August Stakes.

“He’s been a bit unfortunate but he wants soft ground and hopefully it will still have some cut in it on Saturday as the softer it is, the better he will be,” said Haggas.

“He’s a very nice horse and when he gets soft ground you’ll see an even better horse.”