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British Ebf W.b Simpson & Sons (midlands) Fillies' Handicap Stakes (gbbplus Race)

16:32 Leicester Tue 08 Sep 2026 1m2f Class 4 Good to Soft 9 runners

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Mr Fox’s call

Spirit Of Athene silks

Spirit Of Athene

SPECULATIVE Advised 3/1 SP 7/4J Est. 32%

🏆 WON

Mr Fox says

Spirit Of Athene (SR:91, 3/1, Wgt:9-5) is the highest-rated horse in the field by a clear margin and carries a favourable weight — 11lb lighter than top-weight Princess Rascal and 5lb lighter than Gaspacho. The market has shortened 29% since opening, matching the same steaming signal seen on Princess Rascal but at a much stronger SR base and shorter price, indicating genuine confidence from connections. DistFit:+ confirms proven ability at 1m2f, which is notable in a field where most rivals carry DistFit:? at this trip. The Ed Walker yard operates at 15% and Ashley Lewis (3) at 15%, both solid, and the form string 31-215 shows consistent competitiveness at this class level, with a recent fifth off a mark 5lb higher (MarkMv:+5) suggesting the handicapper has not fully caught up with the horse's ceiling. Each-way alternative: Gaspacho. Main danger: Gaspacho — Gaspacho (SR:88, 15/8) is trained by William Haggas at a 21% strike rate — the standout yard in the field — carried a form string of 511 before a season break, and at 9-10 carries only 5lb more than Spirit Of Athene despite being the market favourite, meaning if the 311-day absence is not an issue the class edge could tell.

Verify· #16707

Full result

Winner: Spirit Of Athene (GB) at SP 7/4J. Mr Fox’s picks highlighted in gold.

  1. 1 Spirit Of Athene silks Spirit Of Athene Fox #1 Ed Walker · Ashley Lewis(3) 9/4
  2. 2 Quisana silks Quisana Eve Johnson Houghton · Charles Bishop 14/1
  3. 3 Dove Tale silks Dove Tale Fox #3 John & Thady Gosden · Robert Havlin 5/1
  4. 4 Gaspacho silks Gaspacho Fox #2 William Haggas · Tom Marquand 7/4
  5. 5 Roman Secret silks Roman Secret Lawrence Mullaney · Callum Hutchinson 50/1
  6. 6 Mother Dear silks Mother Dear Hughie Morrison · Rob Hornby 8/1
  7. 7 Queen's Companion silks Queen's Companion Ralph Beckett · Rossa Ryan 10/1
  8. — Princess Rascal silks Princess Rascal Oliver Cole · Ray Dawson 12/1
  9. — Lucky Luna silks Lucky Luna Richard Hannon · Joe Leavy SP

Top 4 — how each finished

  1. 1 Spirit Of Athene silks Spirit Of Athene 3/1 SP 7/4J 🏆 WON
  2. 2 Gaspacho silks Gaspacho 15/8 🏁 4TH
  3. 3 Dove Tale silks Dove Tale 13/2 🥉 3RD