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Daryl heads to Windsor for all three bets on Monday
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Say's NAP has a fine opportunity to score
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And a well-handicapped Appleby runner has been foolishly overlooked by the market
None of these looks particularly well-treated on the bare form, so it might be worth forgiving one that ran in a higher grade last time. Flag Of St George - 4/15.00 on the Betfair Sportsbook - is undoubtedly better than we saw at Royal Ascot last time, and given connections pitched him in that deep, they obviously think a little of him.
He went into my tracker after an eye-catching performance at Newmarket on debut in a race that has worked out exceptionally well. He found the five furlongs too sharp there, but the penny dropped late, and he finished with a good rattle up the backside (beaten two lengths) of two subsequent winners.
The winner bombed out in the National Stakes at Sandown, but the third (after winning at Chester) ran an excellent third to Elite Status in the same race, tying the form in with today's favourite, Matters Most (finished 5th).
The runner-up went out to win next time at York, beating two useful horses rated 82 and 87 and is rated 85 himself, while the fifth scored next time and is rated 82, and the sixth was only beaten seven lengths In last weekend's Super Sprint.
Having moved up in trip, Flag Of St George comfortably justified favouritism at the same Newmarket venue over Maymay, who was subsequently beaten three lengths by Bobsleigh at Epsom, five lengths in the Chesham and under two lengths in a Listed contest in France.
The time of Flag Of St George's Newmarket victory read well in comparison to serial scorer Quinault, who won on the same card, and the selection was dominant at every stage through his race in the sectional department.
He is the likely pace angle with a good draw in stall two, and it will take a good one to pass him.
Given the strength in depth of the Coventry Stakes, it might pay to forgive him.
The current 4/15.00 looks more than fair, and I recommend backing no shorter than 3/14.00. Matters Most ran with credit in the National Stakes, but he was found out having won a steadily run race at Salisbury, and Je Ne Sais Quoi might not be up to defying this mark yet on balance.
A relatively weak contest. Today's favourite, The Cruising Lord, is seven-year-olds old and has a strike rate of 3-31, with two of those coming at Bath and the other his latest victory in Class 5 0-70 company. He is surely vulnerable to an improver up in grade.
The second favourite, Lady Dreamer, makes her handicap debut, and despite going close in Novice company twice and scoring here last time, the handicapper has dropped her opening rating by seven pounds, suggesting correctly that her form has not improved.
This could be a good opportunity for Heroism - 11/26.50 on the Betfair Sportsbook - to return to winning ways for the first time since his debut.
He scored on debut in good style at Salisbury over the now 86-rated Hello Deira before being thrown into the Group 2 Mill Reef. He was entitled to need his seasonal return run at Nottingham and was too keen here behind runners when short of room in a Class 4 0-85.
However, it was a good step back in the right direction at Bath behind our well-handicapped winner Swift Asset in a first-time tongue-tie when not getting the best of runs through. He was keen early off a plodding pace and was running into the back of runners before being switched wide and then back inside to put in a good finishing effort.
That run recorded his career-best RPR of 84, and the handicapper dropped him two pounds for it. He now sits on a workable mark of 78 on the balance of his form, and the move back up another half a furlong will surely benefit him.
He has a good draw in stall one, and hopefully, Richard Kingscote can make the most of it. This is a drop into a 0-78 off of top weight, and the five pounds weight for age allowance is a big positive.
There will be few better opportunities than this to get back in the winner's enclosure.
Back him at 4/15.00 or bigger.
It's worth taking a small chance on Ardbraccan - 22/123.00 on the Betfair Sportsbook - having caught the eye in a deep Class 5 event here last week. She got no run and finished with plenty left in the tank, and while taking on some unexposed three-year-olds is always daunting from a betting perspective, there's no guesswork with her handicap mark of 70.
Trainer Michael Appleby has a habit of picking up horses from other yards and getting them back to their best, and Ardbraccan gave the impression on her penultimate start that she was about to run into form. She didn't get a chance to prove that last time but both efforts have been a step back in the right direction.
She was well worthy of a rating in the mid-80s when with Richard Hannon when pitched into the Group 3 Sweet Solera Stakes as a two-year-old, so I refuse to believe she can't be competitive off this rating of 70.
It might be worth forgiving the tough season she had as a three-year-old in four starts, and it's undoubtedly worth forgiving the two runs over hurdles for Charlie Longsdon.
She looked in good heart and building towards a bigger performance in her latest outings, and now down to a lowly mark of just 70, she could be about to produce that.
There's no real standout form from the three-year-olds, and perhaps Decoration is the one open to further improvement, but she was well placed in a steadily run race here last time, and soft in the going description could strain her stamina. Back her no shorter than 16/117.00.