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Pearls And Rubies highly rated ahead of Chesham
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Wellington's A-game sets a high standard in Jubilee
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Probe has his chance in wide-open Wokingham
14:30 - Pearls And Rubies
We thought we had a good 2yo on our hands before her debut at Navan just 13 days ago, but she had to go and do it and she had a very good yardstick to beat in I Am Invictus.
In the circumstances, we were obviously thrilled that she could win there, and the step up in trip has to be a big positive given her run-style at Navan and her pedigree. The quick turnaround and her inexperience are obviously the big questions, as well as some similarly lightly-raced and promising fillies in opposition, but we think she is good.
15:05 - The Antarctic
This is his first attempt at 7f and I think he will get it. A Group 1-placed juvenile, he did it nicely enough at Naas last time and decent ground suits. He has a 3lb penalty but he still has strong form claims.
15:40 - Wellington
He must have a leading chance in this. He has been knocking heads with Lucky Sweynesse for a while and doing very well in defeat, and I imagine that horse would be about 3s-on in this race. He is that good; he is the best sprinter around. So for Wellington to run him to a length on occasions, and actually beat him last year, shows you what a top-class horse Wellington is.
I actually rode him to win the Group 1 Hong Kong Sprint at Sha Tin in December and, if he can bring his A-game over here, then he sets a very high standard for the others to match, though clearly Artorius in particular may have something to say about that and Highfield Princess has to respected backing up quickly from an excellent run on Tuesday.
16:20 - Changingoftheguard
Obviously Hukum will take a lot of beating if handling the quick ground, and Free Wind and Pyledriver also have leading form claims. So Changingoftheguard has to step up markedly to be winning this. But he won the King Edward VII Stakes here on quick ground last season and he ran okay in the Ormonde Stakes on his return, which I would expect him to improve on here. But he obviously faces a very tough task.
17:00 - Probe
He has improved a good deal this season, winning twice, and it is just a matter of whether the handicapper has got him now. But he ran well off this mark at Epsom last time, and probably ran better than his beaten distance suggests looking at the race, and he has his chance.
17:35 - Canute
I was impressed with him at Navan last time and unfortunately so was the handicapper, as he races off an 11lb higher mark here. But he is a superbly-bred colt, out of the dual Group 1 winner Alice Springs, and hopefully his revised mark of 93 still underestimates him on just his sixth start.
18:10 - Dawn Rising
He has a little to find with the form horses but he is a lightly-raced individual, he is a decent 2m4f-winning hurdler, and he ran well on his return in the Saval Beg. He has his chance, with the stamina test promising to suit.
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