/ Editor / 22 June 2007 /

Maraahel, so often found wanting when upped in class, can win at his level and claim his seventh Group success in the Hardwicke Stakes (Ascot 15:05).

Sir Michael Stoute has had a frustrating Royal Ascot to date but in the son of Alzao, he has a horse he can rely upon. His consistency is the key here as well as a liking for this track and the likelihood is that the six-year-old will get his own way at the head of affairs.

He holds Scorpion on their recent meeting at Epsom, despite the race being run to suit the Aidan O'Brien runner and on ground possibly on the dead side for Maraahel. Given he can get the lead - he has seemed comfortable since the application of blinkers - then it is possible he may not see another rival in the contest.

Any softening of the ground is likely to play into the hands of the O'Brien camp, with his Scorpion a proven horse with juice in the ground. His recent success at Epsom owed more to team tactics than raw ability, with the colt able to sit front rank in a race controlled by stablemate Septimus. With no ally here, the colt will find things tougher and although there could still be some improvement from the five-year-old, he may have to play second fiddle to Maraahel.

The betting market will be looking for signs from the Mark Johnston camp that all things are well with his Linas Selection, who had a progressive profile until injury kept him out for the latter part of last season. The stable have a formidable record in the contest having won the race four times in the past ten years and interestingly none of those started as market leader.

Whether he will be fit enough to do himself justice remains to be seen and it could be the market that gives the best clues to his well being. He certainly has the form in the book to make a serious challenge and is expected to have improved with another year on his back.

Blue Bajan is a reliable sort who rarely fails to run his race. His best chance will come if any of the leading trio disappoints and a slight plus in his favour is that the gelding is relatively unexposed over this trip.

Mighty certainly races as though he will win at this level at some point although, like Blue Bajan, must face Maraahel on inferior terms than when they finished close together at Newbury in April. There seems no obvious reason why the four-year-old can turn that form round and he may be popular to lay in the win market.

Ex-South African racehorse Diamond Quest has already landed a Group One contest (over two miles) and raced with consistency this spring in Dubai. Making his first start here for Andrew Balding, it is likely the market will provide the best guide to his chances and a big unknown is that the six-year-old has yet to race on ground softer than good.

Speedy Andretti to score again

If Miss Andretti can reproduce her fine effort in the King Stand Stakes over this extra furlong, then the Australian mare may prove just as hard to beat despite the presence of stronger opposition in the Golden Jubilee Stakes (Royal Ascot 15:45).

The mare showed good speed and a turn of foot to get the better of Dandy Man, claiming her fourth Group success on the bounce, and unless she meets trouble in-running then she will once again go some way to proving she is the best sprinter in the world.

Behind her on Tuesday were both Takeover Target and Magnus, with the former looking more likely to improve on that effort than the latter. Takeover Target has been trained with this race in mind and it was to his credit how well he performed early in the week over the shorter trip. Third in this race last year, it is possible that only Miss Andretti will be too strong for him here.

Magnus was the least favoured of the Australian runners in Tuesday's encounter and it was a fine effort to get within two lengths of the winner. The fact that Miss Andretti has beaten him three times this season should suggest he will be of more interest in the place rather than the outright market.

Leading the British challenge is Amadeus Wolf, who has held his form well racing at the highest level. A winning return at York recently will have put the colt spot on for this contest and his stable has been fairly bullish about his chance.

His supporters need to be aware that the four-year-old needs to step up on anything he has produced before to get his head in front of the likely favourite and while he may be open to a little more improvement, some punters may feel happy to take him on in the win market.

Bygone Days is another who needs to improve on racecourse form to get serious but his last three efforts have been solid ones, including an excellent run at Windsor last time out when conceding weight all round.

Godolphin have long targeted this race and their runners over the years have generally run with credit. This is a horse who could come in for plenty of morning support once traders realise he does not have to improve too much to be making a challenge for the places, at the very least.

Granston to grind them down

Granston looks to have an excellent chance to get back to winning ways in the Betfair Handicap at Redcar (15:35).

The six-year-old not only handles most surfaces but has good course form and will have the assistance of the title chasing Seb Sanders, who heads Betfair's Top Jockey market at 1.42 ahead of Jamie Spencer at 3.

A specialist miler, the gelding rarely fails to give his best and those traders who like to see their selections well placed throughout can expect Granston to take a position just behind the leaders, before getting going around the two furlong pole. In-play traders may want to note that James Bethell's charge can take some time to wind up, but once in the clear he can generally be relied upon to put in a sustained run.

Looking well handicapped now, this looks the grey's best winning opportunity for a while and the gelding can be expected to be backed accordingly.

Middlemarch can lay claim to being one of the most consistent horses in training and on his last 16 outings has failed just once to run within a couple of pounds of his mark. Traders should note that Jim Goldie's gelding was due to run on Friday at Redcar, but it is interesting to observe that the seven-year-old would race here off virtually the same mark even if carrying a penalty - this is because she is due to race from out of the handicap.

Another suited by all surfaces, he looks a solid choice to fill one of the place positions if possibly not up to actually winning.

It is sometimes difficult to work out Mick Easterby's horses and his Mezuzah baffled traders last season, winning two races when seemingly unfancied at 9/1 and 10/1, but was overturned when sent off as favourite at Haydock and Ayr.

The gelding certainly possesses talent on his day but with connections seemingly unable to get a handle on him from a betting point of view, little may be gained by traders trying to spot any patterns. Certainly more rain will help his chance and this is more his trip (has been tried over 6f), although the percentage call may be for traders to leave him alone pre-race and see how things pan out on the course before getting involved.

It will be interesting to see the level of market support for Richard Fahey's Bolodenka who after winning two contests in Ireland last season, ran an excellent race to finish just behind Smart Enough in a competitive handicap at York in August.

A repeat of that performance would give him every chance here, although his recent efforts before a break were nothing special. Having gone well fresh in the past, he is certainly capable putting in a winning effort and the market should be a guide to stable confidence.

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