Wall on weather watch ahead of Double’s Chartwell challenge

Ashley Iveson
May 7, 2021 10:57 am

Trainer hoping heavy rain stays away from Lingfield.

Chris Wall plans to check on ground conditions before giving Double Or Bubble the green light to run in the Novibet Chartwell Fillies’ Stakes at Lingfield on Saturday.

The four-year-old is a full-sister to the Newmarket handler’s former stable star Mix And Mingle, who claimed an impressive victory in this Group Three contest four years ago.

Double Or Bubble has earned herself a step up in class by winning her last three starts, including an impressive return from seven months off the track at Newmarket’s Craven meeting, but Wall is concerned about the forecast of morning rain.

Mix And Mingle landed this race back in 2017 before Group 3 success.
Here, sister Double Or Bubble bolts up to land the hat-trick in fine style for Chris Wall and @Mitchelljack77 @NewmarketRace pic.twitter.com/837tvwS55L
— Racing TV (@RacingTV) April 13, 2021

He said: “She came out of her Newmarket race in good shape and did a nice piece of work last week, so I’m very happy with her.

“Our main concern at the moment is the ground because there is some heavy rain forecast, so we shall be monitoring that.

“She’s a filly who is much better suited to a sounder surface than to a soft one, so I’ll have a walk on the track before racing and see what we think and make a decision based on that.

“I think she’s good enough for a race like this, so it would be nice to be able to run her, but obviously it would be even better to run her with her optimum conditions.”

Double Or Bubble’s seven rivals include Andreas Wohler’s German raider Axana. The five-year-old won twice at Group Three level as a three-year-old in 2019, but failed to add to her tally last season.

However, Wohler believes her comeback victory in a Listed event at Hoppegarten last month is proof Axana is back to her best.

“I hope she can run a good race. She has had one run this year and did it quite easy. That form was proven because the filly that was second was second again last Sunday in a Group race in Italy,” said Wohler.

“She’s in good shape. Hopefully the ground stays on the good side, because the weather forecast is not that good. We would not want the ground too soft really.

“She won at Group-race level as a three-year-old and is back to her old form.”

Isabella Giles winning the Rockfel Stakes at Newmarket (Alan Crowhurst/PA)

The Clive Cox-trained Isabella Giles won at Group Three and Group Two level as a juvenile last term, and finished sixth on her reappearance in the Fred Darling at Newbury three weeks ago.

Cox said: “We’ve got a drop of rain and she showed a liking for an easier surface last year, particularly when winning the Prestige Stakes at Goodwood.

“We’re sticking to seven furlongs after deciding that was a better idea than stepping up to a mile off the back of her run at Newbury.

“She’s in great form. She has a penalty for a Group Two success last year, but she’s in good order and I see no reason why she won’t like the track.”

Bounce The Blues (Andrew Balding), Huboor (Kevin Ryan), Jouska (Henry Candy), Parent’s Prayer (Archie Watson) and Meu Amor (Ralph Beckett) complete the line-up.