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Zietengo to zip in on return to action

Zietengo Boy can bounce back from a bleeding attack to lift this afternoon's feature event, the Ewo Trophy.

Trainer Lawrie Fownes has taken no chances with this potential Class One performer, who surprisingly was found to have bled after a classy victory towards the end of last season when pulling well clear of St Alann and Kashmac.

Zietengo Boy has been given all the time he needs by the Fownes team, and his work and trials have been good. He's basically gone better than anything Fownes has pitched him in against and he still looks to be a step or two ahead of the handicap.

When Zietengo Boy ran second to Meridian Star in early April, beaten by a head when he probably should have won by half a length, he was giving the winner five pounds. Meridian Star has made good progress since, but last April it was hard to avoid the impression that Zietengo Boy was every bit as good a prospect. Meridian Star has already managed to race his way up to a mark of 90, from which he runs in the last race this afternoon, whereas Zietengo Boy is still on a mark of 78.

Dollars And Sense was third, around three-quarters of a length behind Zietengo Boy in that race behind Meridian Star. Zietengo Boy was giving him five pounds that evening and now he's receiving four.

Fastest Star could be a considerable danger from barrier two. The veteran handicapper clearly found 1,000 metres too short at Happy Valley last time. He had run on well prior to that over this afternoon's 1,400-metre trip and has been skipping through his work more like a handicapper half his age.

The German champion Andrasch Starke takes over on Dollars And Sense, who has been hanging in really badly in the final stages of his races. A change in these circumstances can often lead to a better showing, so keep this Kaapstad gelding safe in the tierce pool.

Ivan Allan's Huangdi did well to make up so much ground off a slow pace last time and he's definitely worth including in quinellas, while the consistent Greenmore again holds tierce claims on the form book. A slight word of warning here in that he looked a bit shuffly in his slower paces during work this week and may not be quite at the peak he was last time out.

Graphic: S1400glo

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