He's no superstar, but is a tough customer who can be relied upon to give his running and he won't mind the ground.
I must have put a curse on Overdose by including him in my 10 to follow. The unbeaten sprinter, who has been handed the title of the 'Budapest Bullet', has been ruled out of Saturday's Temple Stakes (3.10) at Haydock and won't be seen on the racecourse again until after Royal Ascot, which is a real shame as the sprinting division is badly in need of a star.
One horse who could fill that void is Amour Propre, who looked a star in the making when blowing his rivals away in the Group 3 Palace House Stakes at Newmarket last month on his reappearance. That wasn't the first time he'd taken the eye as he smashed the juvenile track record when winning his maiden at Warwick last June, just as he did when following up in a minor race at Bath a month later.
Good to soft ground meant he was never going to smash the clock on his next start in the Group 3 Cornwallis Stakes at Ascot in October, but the time figure he recorded in scoring by a neck from Waffle was impressive nevertheless, and confirmed him a real speedball, an equine version of Usain Bolt if you must.
However, he does have an Achilles Heel in that soft ground seriously blunts his speed and that eventuality looks set to rule him out of Saturday's Group 2 contest, for which he's 9/4 favourite with the sponsors. His trainer Henry Candy will make a last minute decision but with all these heavy showers around it must be a shade odds-on that he won't run.
In his absence, the way looks clear for the Robin Bastiman-trained BORDERLESCOTT to land this prestigious prize. Last season's Nunthorpe winner was beaten just over two and a half langths into third behind Amour Propre in the Palace House Stakes and has reportedly thrived since. He's no superstar, but is a tough customer who can be relied upon to give his running and he won't mind the ground.
He's a best-priced 7/2 with bet365 at the time of writing but I'd rather wait to back him on the day of the race as there is a potential for a hefty rule 4 should the Candy-trained sprinter be pulled out.
Whether Amour Propre runs or not, though, he's definitely a horse to keep on your side as he's going to be a tough nut to crack in the top 5f contests this season when the ground is riding fast. I only wish I'd put him in my 10 to follow.
Recommended Bet:
Borderlescott 2pts @ best morning-line price