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Heavens Gate among the form horses for Group 2 contest
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Royal Ascot winner Porta Fortuna the one to beat in Group 1 Falmouth
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Some big chances among my seven rides on day two
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He didn't run badly over 1m4f in the King George V handicap at Royal Ascot, not beaten far, but perhaps 1m2f with a bit of dig will suit him better. He is only 3lb higher than when a good third in the London Gold Cup over this trip, and any further rain won't be a problem for him.
She has progressed from race to race and hopefully that upward trend continues here. She clearly ran a great race when third in the Albany last time, looking the likely winner at one stage, and that puts her among the form horses here in what is admittedly a very competitive Group 2, albeit one lacking a clear stand-out going into the race.
He obviously didn't run his race at Ascot, a race in which he got hampered and shuffled back from his low draw, going into the first bend. The handicapper has ignored the run and left him on the same mark, so hopefully he can show that the form of his earlier runaway win on the Rowley course was as good as it looked at the time.
Whether or not the ease in the ground is ideal for her, we shall see, but it may well have dried out by Friday afternoon anyway - and it was testing when she won on her debut - but she is definitely the form horse in the race on her Guineas second and, perhaps more tellingly, on her defeat of Opera Singer in the Coronation Stakes last time, with the Guineas first and third further adrift. If she runs up to the level of that Ascot victory, something is going have to improve by a fair amount to beat her, though of course you have to respect the likes of Roaring Lion, who was also impressive at Ascot and is proven with plenty of cut, and A Lilac Rolla.
We also had two unraced horses in here at the five-day stage but we rely on Mount Kilimanjaro, who shaped well enough when fifth on his debut at Leopardstown in May. The well-related Siyouni colt will hopefully show the benefit of that experience here.
I haven't ridden him before but he has been steadily inching down the handicap while running well enough of late, including here last time, so he has his chance at the weights. His record suggests drying ground would suit.
Another whom I haven't sat on before but she has only been raised 1lb for her third in a big field sprint handicap at Royal Ascot and she handles dig, so she probably has as good a chance as any in what is obviously a very open handicap.
Timeform's Verdict
Heavens Gate - 14:25 Newmarket
Ryan Moore has a strong book of rides on Friday including Heavens Gate in the Duchess of Cambridge Stakes (14:25). Heavens Gate had to settle for minor honours when third behind stablemate Fairy Godmother in the Albany Stakes at Royal Ascot but she showed plenty of speed and ability in a strong race and was only headed 50 yards out.
Heavens Gate has shown significant run-by-run improvement and is 5 lb clear at the head of Timeform's ratings for the Duchess of Cambridge Stakes based on her Royal Ascot form, so she stands out as the one to beat.