Cast No Shadow returns to the track for the Coral Racing Club this afternoon in the 14:30 Class 5 Maiden Stakes over 5f at Lingfield.

Read our Raceday LIVE preview below and join us before the race for all the build-up and live updates from the track with the team and our lucky owners for the day on our X account @Coral.

Raceday LIVE Preview

Cast No Shadow hasn't been seen since his debut race towards the end of July at Ripon where plenty went against him on the day. From soft ground to being drawn right in the middle of the track, plus getting bumped several times throughout the race, it's fair to say he had a far from ideal start to life on the racetrack.

WATCH: Cast No Shadow finishes 6th on debut at Ripon

The race at Ripon has produced three subsequent winners, including the victor that day, Tropical Island, who won a Class 3 handicap at York, before finishing a solid 4th in the Listed Rockingham Stakes. Mirroring is another winner that's come out of that race, taking the spoils in an Epsom handicap in August. Tropical Air, who finished only a neck ahead of Cast No Shadow at Ripon has also gone on to win three of his next seven races, rising from a mark of 52 to 69.

Following that run he suffered from sore shins, a common injury for two-year-olds, which is partly why he hasn't been seen since, but Hugo has been full of positive words recently following some good work at home.

"We’re really happy with him at home at the moment, and he seems to be fully over the sore shins that have held him back in recent months, so we are really looking forward to cracking on with him now. He’s been moving well at home, and he seems to be in really good form, so hopefully he’ll have learnt plenty from that debut effort at Ripon, and he can put that experience to good use on his second start."

We're delighted to have top-class jockey Tom Marquand on-board our Hugo Palmer-trained colt this afternoon, which will be the first time he's ridden a horse for the Coral Racing Club. Tom isn't a jockey that Hugo teams up with often, with the pair only combining on 66 runs, winning seven at a strike rate of 11%. He's been in solid form over the course of the flat season this year, finishing 4th in the Jockeys' Championship with 102 winners and almost £2.5m in prize money. 

Tom's record around Lingfield so far this year is one to note to as he's operating at a 33% win rate following four victories from 12 rides. 

Cast No Shadow's opposition today is set to consist of seven rivals, with Jungle Jim being the only non-runner on the day so far.

• Nazron has obvious claims at the top of the market for Roger Varian and David Egan, coming here after placing in all 4 of his starts to date, including a 2nd place finish over course and distance when last seen.
• Fellow Coral Racing Club  trainer Alice Haynes trains the most experienced horse in the field with Vanity Pays. The two-year-old filly makes her British debut today after switching from Paddy Twomey's yard recently.
• The other to note in today's field is Gloves who's having her third run for shrewd trainer George Boughey. Another two-year-old filly who runs for talk of the town owners Amo Racing following King Of Steel's victory in the Champion Stakes at Ascot last weekend.