Sad Farewells - And Looking To Back Up Last Week's 25/1 Winner

ALL VIEWS ARE MY OWN

Short and sweet this week as I am on my annual jaunt to the Durban July in South Africa where I am a guest of Gold Circle and Hollywood Bets – though if the flight prices keep going up I suspect this will be the last trip I can afford.

In the news this week we say a sad goodbye to a true legend of the game after the passing of D Wayne Lukas at the age of 89. Only retiring a week ago, he battled on to the very end, and will be fondly remembered by all in American racing and the World over. The word legend is sprinkled like confetti these days but with 20 Breeders’ Cup winners he was fully deserving of the accolade

Onto some good news (well for some), and it was great to see Calandagan finally win a Group One after the four-year-old strolled home three and half lengths clear in the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud on Sunday afternoon. He will now head to Ascot for the King Georger but it needs to be noted the word soft appeared on the description here and if our summer continues as it is, he will be on much faster ground next month. Golath went out like a light to come home 39 lengths last so not everything went to plan for the Graffard camp and I would not be surprised to find out something was amiss with him as that was simply too bad to be true.

Meanwhile Lambourn added the Irish Derby to the Epsom one when scoring by three-quarters of a length at the Curragh when keeping on well, but I can’t pretend I am overly impressed by the middle distance three-year-olds yet this season, and it was certainly more workmanlike than impressive – it will be interesting to see if he is rushed off to stud or given the chance to prove himself (or not) against the older horses later in the year.  

On to the racing….

Sandown 1.50pm

Official ratings make this all over bar the shouting for First Instinct who is officially rated 2lb superior at these weights, but I prefer an each way chance on Jack Channon’s Queen Allstar who may have more to offer. The winner of three of her four starts she is stepping up in class after winning a Class Two handicap last time out, but had a bit more in hand than the official margin suggests and at 16/1 as I write, I can see her pouncing late under jockey William Buick if she can be switched off at the back and brought with a perfectly timed run.

Sandown 3.00pm

Unbeaten, tick - stable in good form, tick - value for further on their last start, check and an each way price check – there is plenty to like about Charlie Johnston’s Suite Francaise who deserves a crack in Listed class after winning by four and a half lengths without really breaking sweat at Haydock at the end of May. Given a deserved month off to recover, the daughter of Study Of Man has a decent turn of foot when needed and if she can put that to good use at the right time here then she can hit a top three finish at a double figure price.

Sandown 3.35pm

Clearly the race of the day in England and although plenty of the big-hitters originally entered have sadly swerved this contest, it still looks a race worth watching. Ombudsman showed dramatically improved form to win the Prince of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot last month and I can certainly see why he is a short-priced favourite and the likeliest winner. However, the 6/5 looks poor value to me when you consider no four-year-old has won this since Ulysses in 2017, and that three-year-olds, who receive 10lb from their elders. English 2000 Guineas third Ruling Court is overpriced at 20/1, but so is Irish 2000 Guineas third Hotazhell at 33/1, and he finished closer to Fields Of Gold suggesting he may have an edge. Add in that he was having his first start of the season that day and can only improve, and if the colt gets the extra quarter mile here, I can see him running a massive race at an equally massive price.

Sean’s Suggestion:

Hotazhell each way 3.35pm Sandown