Royal Runner Lightning Polka Out To Strike At Ayr

Following an excellent launching at Haydock just a fortnight back, Lightning Polka will aim to bring 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 fitness instructor Ed Walker by the King and Queen and made a best start to her profession on Merseyside.


Her handler is well conscious she has a lot more on her plate in Scotland this weekend, but is hoping she can prove as much as the task.


Speaking at Newbury on Friday, Walker stated: "It's a wedding day and she was really remarkable at Haydock on her launching.


"I think she'll be OK on the ground, although Tom (Marquand) stated it was a bit dead and tacky when he rode there on Thursday.


"I think she'll enhance once again from this run and we have actually refrained from doing a lot since Haydock as this comes quick enough. I would have loved it to have actually been 3 weeks since her launching rather than 2, however she's a good filly and she was truly simple and professional very first time.


Trainer Ed Walker is all set for a big afternoon at Ayr (John Walton/PA)


"It's a dream to train for the King and Queen and she was actually our very first two-year-old to have a problem, which I couldn't think.


"I was so fired up to train 2 horses for the King and Queen and I have a very great filly who is a bit backwards and after that Lightning Polka, who is more of a two-year-old type. She went and got a niggle early, but luckily she overcame that rapidly and she's exciting."


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


Also in the mix is Richard Fahey's The Moon, who needed to settle for 2nd 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 capacity until next season, however is keen to test the waters at a higher level before completion of her juvenile project.


"We simulate her but I'm not exactly sure how she will manage the ground if it's on the slow side," he said.


"We enjoy to run her and see what takes place. I believe her very first run was rather great and we feel we would most likely beat the winner if we met again and then the race at Beverley which she won will have done her the world of excellent, so we've been pleased with her.


"She's a filly for next year really and I didn't desire to run her a lot of times, but I needed to run her again so I believed I might also run her in an excellent race and see how she gets on."


An overall of 15 two-year-old fillies go to post on the west coast of Scotland, with other noteworthy names including Simon and Ed Crisford's Lowther 4th Dandana, Ed Bethell's easy Catterick winner Rogue Attraction and George Boughey's unbeaten three-time winner India Love.


There is likewise 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 very first appearance considering that impressing at Newmarket in April.


He is the likely favourite in a field of 6 for a 10-furlong contest in which William Haggas is represented by Caviar Heights, with the Somerville Lodge handler hoping conditions remain ideal for a four-year-old who has actually suffered succeeding narrow defeats at Listed level in the Gala Stakes and August Stakes.


"He's been a bit unfortunate but he desires soft ground and ideally it will still have some cut in it on Saturday as the softer it is, the better he will be," stated Haggas.


"He's an extremely good horse and when he gets soft ground you'll see an even better horse."