Uncaptured Empress for Aston Commock

Trainer Peter McMaster has ditched blinkers for a visor, giving UNCAPTURED EMPRESS peepholes, which should make her alert to incoming danger in Saturday's Aston Commock Memorial. It will be catch her if you can again with Omar Walker aboard.

UNCAPTURED EMPRESS appeared back to form on March 24, finishing second behind POWER FROM ABOVE at a mile. She reported sharp in blinkers but was caught inside the final half-furlong by POWER FROM ABOVE after slicing through the field down the backstretch and straightening four lengths clear.

It was her best run since landing the Independence Day Stakes Trophy at seven furlongs last August, clocking a decent 1:28.4 minutes. Then three-year-old UNCAPTURED EMPRESS drew four lengths clear a furlong out, eventually beating NORBLAR by a length with in-utero GEOLITHIC a further three behind.

NORBLAR and GEOLITHIC have since franked the form of that race with victories suggesting UNCAPTURED EMPRESS should have long graduated to, at least, overnight allowance.

However, a three-race foray into events mixing imported non-winners of two races alongside local breds - three and four-year-olds, non-winners-of-four races - set UNCAPTURED EMPRESS against speedsters such as BOOTYLICIOUS and talented United States of America-bred DESERT OF MALIBU. Venturing outside her comfort zone, going nine furlongs and 25 yards, UNCAPTURED EMPRESS finished last on her third attempt at the level.

Returning a rung lower among non-winners of three races on New Year's Day, UNCAPTURED EMPRESS finished a close enough fifth behind five-furlong straight specialist VOLATILITY. After that encouraging effort, UNCAPTURED EMPRESS oddly returned minus blinkers at five and a half furlongs off the lay-up on March 16, finishing down the track without the equipment she had worn when winning at seven furlongs.

Blinkers were refitted eight days later, March 24, with six-time champion Walker replacing Shane Richardson, resulting in UNCAPTURED EMPRESS showing her true colours, but ran out of steam close home when POWER FROM ABOVE fell out of the clouds.