We kick off proceedings with the opening contest on the card, a tricky five furlong handicap (13:45) in which Peace Seeker looks to be the best option after some last minute withdrawals. He won two in a row at the end of last season before putting in a string of consistently credible efforts on the polytrack over the winter. For all that they didn't yield a win, his turf reappearance at Windsor last week was a hugely encouraging one when a close second to Brecchenbach. Although he did not look like catching the winner, he shaped a good deal better than the bare result suggested and ran off a 5 lb higher mark than when recording his last victory on turf. He lines up today off the same mark of 85 and a repeat performance would see him go very close, and after a number of defectors the race will not take nearly as much winning as it appeared initially.
It's a similar story in the twelve-furlong Metropolitan Handicap which follows (14:20) after overnight favourite Van Percy was declared a non-runner, and Vital Evidence looks to have an excellent chance to capitalise. He saved his best form either end of last season, landing a 10-furlong Sandown maiden on his reappearance and a heavy-ground Windsor handicap in October. Although he lines up today off a career-high mark of 90, he will have improved significantly for a recent pipe-opener on the polytrack at Kempton in which he ran a respectable fifth. The extra furlong-and-a-half he encounters today will certainly play to his strengths, and he looks capable and ready of putting taking another step forward at the expense of a diminished field this afternoon.
Our final bet of the day comes in a typically competitive renewal of the ten-furlong City and Suburban Handicap (15:25), and there are a number who line up with live chances. However Resurge, despite his advancing years, made a winning reappearance over C&D in a similarly hot contest on Oaks Day last year. That was his fourth C&D win, and despite his form dropping off a little in the intervening period, it also means he is now 2 lb lower than when he won here last time. It seems likely he will have been primed for today, and it's also evident that he saves his best for the unique test that Epsom provides. There may well be others who are capable of more significant improvement in the future but for today's purposes it seems foolish to ignore a horse who relishes the demands of the course which has found out so many better-fancied runners over the years. Expect him to be thriving when others have admitted defeat and be right there in the closing stages.
Timeform UK SmartPlays
All at Epsom
Back Peace Seeker @ 5.39/2 in the 13:45
Back Vital Evidence @ 5.85/1 in the 14:20
Back Resurge @ 9.08/1 in the 15:25
