YORK
14:05 York: Sardinia Sunset is the clear form choice on her Queen Mary fourth, and I can’t see her being untroubled unduly. The rest look a much of a muchness, and will be happy with any black type.
14:40 York: They apparently like Ricetta a lot. The bare form of her Newmarket win is some way inferior to a lot of these but, being a Camelot, you have to think she will relish this extra 2f.
15:15 York: If he is as good as they think he is – and he did it very well at Haydock – then this should be a walkover for Highest Ground. I can’t have any of his rivals.
NEWMARKET
1.50pm Newmarket: The form of Lord Campari’s Newbury win last month looked good even before the runner-up won a handicap easily off a mark of 88 last weekend. He is a good bit better than his official mark of 97, and can prove it here against much higher-rated, but more exposed, rivals.
2.25pm Newmarket: There was some talk that Al Aasy could be a Derby horse earlier in the year but it could be that he is just a late maturer. He has a beautiful pedigree, won well last time out, and he could well find the easier tempo of these staying races suit him well. Al Dabaran is the figures horse but I suspect Al Aasy is a lot better than his mark of 91.
3.00pm Newmarket: Tactical did very well to win the Windsor Castle, as he was in the fight all the way and didn’t have anything come to him easily. As a son of Toronado, the step up to 6f should suit, and I prefer him to the likes of Coventry runner-up Qaader and the rest.
3.35pm Newmarket: Sunset Breeze has gone up 18lb in the handicap for his hat-trick of wins, but he is a horse I like and he could well have a lot more to come.
4.10pm Newmarket: Alounak ran a great race to finish second to the filly, Fanny Logan, in the Hardwicke and I take him to back that performance up. He got messed about a bit there too, so he could be even better than his improved effort suggested there.