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Two decent chances to open the card
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Ylang Ylang probably the one to beat on good ground
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Two exciting prospects in later 2yo races
She has had a bit of a stop-start season but she ran well when third at Sandown last time, if not to the same level of form that saw her win that race last season, and a mile and decent ground are her optimum conditions. She has her chance in a very competitive Listed race.
Running Lion sets the standard but she doesn't set that high a bar for the others to reach, and she also has her stamina to prove. My filly won over course and distance on quick ground last season and seemed to win well enough in France last time, so she also has her chance in another open race.
Shuwari is probably the right favourite after what she did at Sandown from the subsequent Moyglare winner, added to the fact that my filly disappointed last time. Ylang Ylang clearly didn't fire as expected in that Moyglare last time out but horses have off days, as we have seen in high-profile races this season, and they can often bounce back quickly.
Certainly, if my filly returns to the form of her Leopardstown defeat of the Moyglare runner-up Vespertilio then she has a leading chance here, and she is probably the one to beat on this expected better ground.
Again, this Group 2 is another tough one to call, despite the relatively small field, but Regal Reality will probably have his ground and he ran well behind Chindit at Haydock last time. The 8yo will need to up his game a touch here to win obviously but he should give his running, which may or may not be good enough against a few higher-rated rivals, which include the returning Maljoom. It's a tough ask for him, to be honest.
I rode the fourth in the race he finished runner-up in on his debut at Ascot, and Accumulate clearly shaped very well against a winner with a run under his belt who has won again since. It's hard to be confident in a race like this, with so many unexposed juveniles in opposition, but he clearly has a good chance.
The three experienced horses have run to a fair level, but not an intimidating one. Psalm is a Sea The Stars colt, so 7f looks a good starting point for him, and hopefully he can give a good account himself, though he is up against six other unraced horses, and the Kingman colt Markoon has a very good pedigree.
I've never ridden him before and I don't know why he has been off since April. But he was obviously a very good 2yo, with a second in the Zetland Stakes here, so let's see. A peak-form New London would obviously be hard to beat.