GYTO Friday Notebook Double

Sticking with The Gurkha colt IMPERIAL FIGHTER in the opener at Newcastle on Good Friday. He looked a smart prospect winning on debut at Goodwood before bumping into Royal Patronage at York. He was freshened up after that but found Coroebus too strong in the Autumn Stakes before acquitting himself well in defeat at the top level in the Vertem Futurity Trophy at Doncaster. This is obviously a great deal easier down to Listed level on return and I think he can get his season off to a perfect start. He still retains potential after just a handful of starts and looks to have the strongest form on offer. Dark Moon Rising impressed by beating Harrow at Chelmsford and is a lively danger off the back of that. I do think he’ll need to improve again to cope with the selection though. Dubai Poet best of the rest but will also need to find more.

Starspangledbanner colt FLINTSTONE is said to work well at home and I thought he shaped with a great deal of encouragement beaten just two lengths on handicap debut at Kempton. He just looked to bump into one on that occasion with the winner Royal Aviation looking potentially exciting. He will come on from that and racing off the same mark looks difficult to oppose here. 9/4 is available at the time of writing but I think he’ll go off a fair bit shorter than that come post time. Court Of Session should appreciate the step up to a mile for his handicap debut so looks most likely to emerge as the danger. Chequer Square is a son of Lope De Vega and while he has failed to get competitive in three starts to date he could be another one that does better up in trip for his handicap debut so one worth noting in the betting in the run up to the race.