I reckon she' s only got to run to the same level of last season's form to collect and I'll be disappointed if she's beaten.
Up at Haydock on Saturday, the Group 3 Timeform Jury Stakes (3.05) looks at the mercy of the Sir Michael Stoute-trained MAIN AIM, providing he stays the extended 7f trip.
That's the slight concern with him as he showed plenty of speed when making mincemeat of some useful handicappers over 6f at Newbury on his reappearance, but he won going away in the end and would still have won if the race had been over an extra furlong in my opinion. It's true he seemed to appreciate dropping back to 6f after two fast ground wins over 7f last season, but his tendency to pull hard was absent at Newbury and I can envisage him being effective over 6f maybe up to 1m this season.
I see he's 12/1 (from 50's) with William Hill for next month's Group 1 Golden Jubilee Stakes (6f), while he also has an entry in the July Cup, a race won by his sire Oasis Dream. That might be tilting at windmills at this stage, but one thing's for sure, he's definitely up to winning at this level and with stable jockey Ryan Moore in the plate on Saturday, he's a confident selection to beat some more exposed rivals.
Earlier on the card, CLOWANCE looks something to bet on in the Pinnacle Stakes (2.35). Roger Charlton's four-year-old looked a decent prospect last season when winning her first two starts, before being pitched in at the deep end in the Epsom Oaks in which, despite finding the drying ground against her, she ran a respectable race to be fourth to Look Here.
She missed the rest of last season through injury and is making her seasonanal debut here, but she clearly goes well fresh and her trainer, who couldn't be in better form (seven winners from 27 runners this month), reports her to have thrived since last season. Looking at the opposition, I reckon she' s only got to run to the same level of last season's form to collect and I'll be disappointed if she's beaten.
ROYAL ROCK drops back to 5f for the Listed Achilles Stakes (2.05) after winning over 6f here last time out. That ought to be a concern, but he could have been named the winner well over a furlong out and I'll be surprised if he hasn't got the speed to win over this shorter trip. He's not been the easiest horse to keep sound but he has always shown a high level of ability and I reckon he could be a real force in sprints at this level this season, starting with victory on Saturday.
Selections
2.05: Royal Rock
2.35: Clowance
3.05: Main Aim
Try a 1pt patent (three singles, three doubles, and a treble) on the above at the best morning-line prices*
*Stan James, bet365 and William Hill all offer a best odds guarantee, meaning they'll pay you at the SP if it's bigger.