Tony Calvin: Barnet to enjoy the thrill of the Fair in Scottish Sprint Cup

On the morning of the Derby we saw once again how competitive the day-of-race markets are these days - Golden Horn was available at 2-1 with a few firms, to varying size admittedly, on Saturday despite being under 15-8 on the exchange - and that is always something to bear in mind when ante-post punting, especially so close to a meeting.

The percentage call is probably to sit tight now with a view to betting at Royal Ascot and wait until the final declarations are known at the 48-hour stage, and it becomes non-runner no-bet. And firms like the Betfair Sportsbook will no doubt offer you price-boosts, specials and enhancements, too.

Plenty of running plans are still up in the air, it seems and the late Derby defection of second-favourite Zawraq with a fractured cannon-bone last week was another reminder how last-minute injuries can scupper the best-laid training, and punting, plans.

So I think that you have to have a telling reason to get involved at Ascot at this late stage, although I thought I had found one on Monday afternoon when looking at the shape of the Prince of Wales's Stakes on the Thursday at 16:20.

Basically, I don't fancy anything at the top of the market and the 7-2 favourite Free Eagle clearly isn't the most robust and missed his intended reappearance with a head cold (no, I don't know how they would know that either) last month.

But then some annoying little un-named scrote - sorry, I've just watched an old re-run of Porridge, but scrote is a good word you have to admit - called "The Insider", on another admittedly excellent website, had the same idea at 6pm last night, tipped the horse, and all the 20s disappeared and the beast shortened from 23.022/1 to 15.014/1 on the exchange.

That ruined any potential edge there, so I didn't even bother to try and find out if the horse definitely goes to Ascot and I won't go into any great detail on his chances here as a result.

If you must know, the horse in question is Cannock Chase, and I suspect that he will take his place in the race, his only entry at the meeting. There may be more of his claims - and maybe those of Eagle Top - next week, but that is it for now.

There are a couple of big-field sprint handicaps at York and Musselburgh that have been priced up though, and one horse in particular that caught my eye at the prices is Barnet Fair at 13.012/1 in the Scottish Sprint Cup at Musselburgh at 15:25.

I think he should be favourite, and I can see him going off as the single-figure market-leader come the weekend, all being well.

I say all being well, because, like with all ante-post races - and especially with sprinters who have a lot of potential targets and ones making quick reappearances - there is a danger that he may not run. And he didn't take in this race last season.

But this is a 100k prize and he ran such an eye-catching race at Epsom on Saturday that connections must be itching to get him out again tout suite.

In short, he has everything going for him here.

Firstly, he goes well at the track, He is a course and distance winner, who finished a close-up seventh and third in this race in 2012 and 2013.

Secondly, there is that run at Epsom at the weekend. He didn't have any race at all there simply because, to the undoubted horror of those who backed him from 20-1 on Friday morning into 9-1 at the off, he got no sort of run at all. And he was still only beaten five lengths, finishing full of running. Take a look at the video of the race.

Thirdly, the handicapper has dropped him a rather generous 2lb for that run and he is now only 3lb higher than when winning at Glorious Goodwood last summer. He is weighted to win again.

And, fourthly, he can handle quick turnarounds. Indeed that Goodwood win last year came less than a week after a good second at Ascot.

Obviously we don't know the draw or ground as it stands, but given a half-decent stall and good going or better, I expect him to go very close indeed.

Recommended Bet

Back Barnet Fair at 13.012/1 in the Scottish Sprint Cup at Musselburgh on Saturday