Newmarket

3:50pm

Smart Champion

He has promised to win a good staying handicap on a couple of occasions this season, and hopefully this Cesarewitch Trial is the race. There is more than a suspicion that he needs a trip in excess of 2m these days, so his run over that trip last time was a fair effort, and he was dropped 1lb for it. So he is now just 1lb higher than when an excellent third over 2m5f at Goodwood previously, and 3lb higher than when fourth over 2m4f at Royal Ascot, so he is handicapped to go well again here. I think he has a very solid each-way chance in a race in which he finished second last season.

4.25pm

Folk Dance

She has been running well over shorter trips, and bumped into a well handicapped filly over 1m2f at Lingfield last time. This is her first start over 1m4f and that Lingfield run and her pedigree suggests it is well worth trying, as she is by Golden Horn out of a Grade 1-winning mare who stayed 1m4f well, and got further, too. You have to give her a big chance in a handicap that has cut up, especially as I think she is better than her current mark of 83. I think she will stay and will be hard to beat if she gets a decent enough pace to aim at in this small field, so hopefully Bollin Joan goes a fair clip.

5.00pm

Breanski

He is the proverbial model of consistency who is a victim because of it.  He continues to run big races in defeat off this kind of mark, and none more so than over this 6f trip at Doncaster last time. Let’s hope it all falls right for him here, and he gets his head in front for the first time in a year.