Nap of the Day: Fahey’s Warrior to step up in Carnarvon Stakes

There is an action-packed Saturday of racing in store across Britain and Ireland with no fewer than eight scheduled meetings as summer really begins to lock in.

Newbury gets top billing with their Group 1 Lockinge Stakes the star attraction, while further Flat cards come from Newmarket, Thirsk, Navan and Doncaster (evening), alongside jumps meetings at Bangor-on-Dee, Wexford and Uttoxeter (evening). My Saturday Nap of the Day is a sprinter going places for trainer Richard Fahey and he looks well ready for a step up in class at Newbury.

The Listed Highclere Castle Gin Carnarvon Stakes at Newbury sees Aidan O'Brien's runner Ides Of March dominant in the market after he chased home smart stablemate Whistlejacket on their seasonal comebacks at Navan (6f, soft) last month in a Listed contest.

He will handle this faster surface based on his juvenile form and could have more to come, but there are some viable alternatives.

Wathnan Racing contender Defence Minister is respected on his comeback. He was too keen in the Middle Park Stakes at Newmarket in September, but the Too Darn Hot colt was unbeaten in two prior to that.

Andrew Balding's Berkshire Whisper continues to improve and is shortlisted along with Sayidah Dariyan for Richard Hughes, but STRONG WARRIOR could be the overpriced runner for Richard Fahey.

The Mehmas colt won a 5f good-ground Ayr maiden last July on his only juvenile start. The three horses he beat have combined to win six of the 10 races they have tackled since and franked that form handsomely.

Strong Warrior, for his part, carried a penalty and beat another last-time-out winner in a Pontefract novice (6f, good) on his own comeback last month.

He was not allowed an easy time in that race, with eventual third U Sure Do pestering him, and he did well to hold off fast-finisher Veblen Good after seeing off the other market principal.

Afterwards, winning rider Oisin Orr told Racing TV: "He probably would have needed that today. He's obviously going to come on from it and he wasn't doing an awful lot in the last furlong - he had his ears pricked - but we do think he's a nice horse."

He gets his chance to prove Orr right here. Fahey and owner Sheikh Rashid Dalmook Al Maktoum landed the Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot with Perfect Power in 2022.

If Strong Warrior can take this class-rise in his stride they may have another solid contender on their hands for next month's three-year-old Group sprint at Ascot and double-figure odds for this move into Listed company are appealing.

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