KING'S THOUGHT will be going into unknown territory once he passes the ten-furlong marker in this afternoon's most valuable race at Chester, the £40,000 Listed Showcase Handicap.

The Steve Gollings-trained four-year-old must now prove he has the stamina required to last out over a trip just short of one-mile-and-three-quarters if he is to grab more glory for his small yet select Lincolnshire stable.

But Gollings' dramatic throw of the dice is not so daft as it seems because although King's Thought (3.30) demonstrated prodigious dash to collect at distances as short as eight furlongs earlier this year, there has always been the suspicion his forte might be in the staying arena.

For the purposes of immediate proof we must turn to his latest scintillating success over a mile-and-a-quarter at Newmarket, where the fuel gauge was nowhere near empty judging by the way King's Thought streaked three lengths clear of his rivals.

Considering rider Neil Pollard was cheekily applying the handbrake in the closing stages it is not difficult to fathom why the gelding is now being tried over much further, especially with such decent prize-money on the table.

James Given, who learnt his trade under the watchful eye of Mark Johnston when the likes of Double Trigger was in the yard, has not surprisingly proved a dab hand at producing similar marathon specialists such as Dancinginthestreet (4.35).

Even though Mick Fenton had to throw the kitchen sink at Dancinginthestreet in order to force his head in front right on the line at Thirsk last week, I still believe there's more to come from the gutsy three-year-old over the coming weeks.

Given the right ammunition one trainer absolutely guaranteed to produce the goods is Richard Fahey, responsible for one of the leading players at Sandown's big meeting, Lady Bear (2.40).

Lady Bear found the ground a touch lively when sixth at York's Ebor Festival, a situation which did not apply at Glorious Goodwood the time before when she hit the jackpot by scooping a monster £58,000 for winning the William Hill Golden Mile Handicap.

If it were a court of law the prosecuting barrister would be at pains to point out that Lady Bear revels in the mud, so the fact that the ground is soft at Sandown provides a near water-tight case for Fahey's raider in the £32,000 Listed Fillies & Mares Stakes.

There's jumping action at Market Rasen where it might be worth waiting until the last race, the Hemswell Novices' Handicap Hurdle, before lacing up the old betting boots and having a crack at Wise Tale (5.15).

By the all-conquering Flat sire Nashwan out of a Danzig mare, Wise Tale would not have been out of a place lining up for the Epsom Derby. Sadly he has failed miserably in that sphere and now needs to start paying his way pronto over the sticks in order to stave off total obscurity. The chink of light at the end of the tunnel finally came at Bangor recently when Wise Tale finished close enough in fourth spot to suggest he is not a complete lost cause and might even conceivably be capable of partially upholding his heady pedigree.

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