Marco Botti wore a quiet but unmistakable smile on the Lingfield gallops earlier this week, placing a reassuring hand on True Colors’ neck as the filly strode past. It was a small moment, but it summed up the stable’s confidence as she heads into the Winter Oaks Trial Handicap on Wednesday, December 3 — a key contest in the True Colors Lingfield feature storyline that is gradually taking shape this winter.
There was no fuss, no grand declarations, just a trainer pleased with a filly who has finally begun to understand her own ability. “She’s come on, really come on,” he remarked after watching her breeze, a hint of pride in his voice.
Botti believes the 10-furlong test could be exactly what she needs as she continues her upward curve.
True Colors has been a steady improver across her all-weather career, beginning her year with a pair of placed efforts before opening her account in a Chelmsford maiden. A summer break kept her off the track longer than planned, but she returned with a respectable fourth over a mile at Southwell, suggesting her sharpness would return with racing.
That theory proved correct. Last month at Wolverhampton, she produced her most assured display yet, travelling smoothly and stretching clear in the closing stages of a nine-furlong handicap. It was the first time she truly looked comfortable stepping up in distance — a detail Botti hopes will be central to her chances on Wednesday.
“She’s physically stronger now,” the trainer said. “We’ve taken our time and she’s responded well. From what I’ve seen at home, she should be competitive off her current mark, even if she is meeting fillies who have been running in deeper company. This will tell us where she fits in.”
The Lingfield circuit, with its rhythm and tight turns, is unlikely to trouble her. The yard reports she has trained willingly since her Wolverhampton win, suggesting the filly arrives in peak order.
The race itself often acts as a springboard to the main Winter Oaks in January — a race that has formed a reliably successful path for the Crisford team in recent seasons. They completed the double with Al Agaila, Oh So Grand and Charlotte’s Web, and now return with Suzette Defoye, a lightly raced contender who showed early promise with a debut win 12 months ago.
John and Thady Gosden are represented by Morrophore, an Ascot scorer whose presence also marks the return of Ryan Moore after injury. The filly brings strong family credentials, being a half-sister to Utmost, a notable winner at the track.
Elsewhere, William Haggas fields the consistent Winter Flower along with Frances Ethel, who has competed at the highest level internationally. Music Piece, narrowly denied in Listed company earlier this year, lines up for Andrew Balding following another close second at Newbury.
David Simcock introduces Quamby to handicaps after a pair of placed novice runs, while Helmsley makes her first outing for Ivan Furtado after a dominant Redcar win. Kevin Philippart de Foy’s Wilhelmina also steps up in trip after back-to-back second-placed finishes on the all-weather.
With a well-balanced field, Wednesday’s trial promises an honest gauge of emerging middle-distance talent — and for Botti, another chance to see whether True Colors is ready to climb further.
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