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14:30 Yet
I wasn’t on board when she won on her debut at Dundalk but she seemed to beat a well-fancied newcomer of Donnacha’s there – the runner-up, Orinoco River, actually runs here, too - with the third well beaten off, so that was obviously a very pleasing first effort. Her pedigree tells you she will get a fair bit further than this but she clearly didn’t lack pace to win over 5f at Dundalk and she showed a very willing attitude there. Being a War Front, you’d expect her to like this ground, too.
15:05 Wordsworth
He was second to High Definition in his sole start at two and I was impressed with him when he beat a subsequent winner in his maiden over 1m2f at the Curragh in April, a race in which he was strong at the finish and shaped like a stayer. He couldn’t follow up when stepped up to 1m5f at Navan next time but the winner, stablemate Sir Lucan, is a very promising horse in his own right and I can definitely see Wordsworth being suited by this test. His brother Kew Gardens won this race back in 2018.
16:20 Love
You clearly have to respect every horse in here, and Lord North is a top-class operator on his day as he showed when dismissing Addeybb in this race last season and winning in Dubai last time, but he will be need to be on a going day to deal with Love and Armory. We haven’t seen Love since she won the Yorkshire Oaks last August, but Aidan has just been waiting for better ground for her, and she will get that here. This will be the deepest pool she has swum in class-wise – and her first run over this 1m2f trip – but this is a wide-margin winner of an Oaks and a Guineas we are talking about here and it will take a good colt, or mare, to beat her here. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if Armory did though. His form took off at the back-end last season, when he finished third in the Irish Champion Stakes before going over to Australia for the Cox Plate, only for the ground to against him late. So to finish second there was some effort. I really was very impressed by his Chester win from Sangarius first time up, and he is a very exciting colt with more to give, and he will love this ground.
17:00 Astro King
This will be the first time I have sat on him since his debut. His Nottingham win on his return worked out very well and he ran very well when third off a 6lb higher mark in a decent renewal of the Thirsk Hunt Cup last time, especially as he was drawn wide there. He has gone up another 3lb for that defeat and I suspect he may need further ideally, but a strongly-run 1m will suit here, as will the ground, and he could have more improvement to come as a lightly-raced, well-bred colt. He should go well on a track that I can see suiting him.
17:35 Amalfi Coast
He got no run when I rode home to finish fifth on his debut at Navan back in April but he has progressed well since, finishing second in a very good Cork maiden, and then winning over 6f at that track last time. He has plenty of pace so I think dropping him back to 5f is the right move. He has chances.
18:10 Lights On
I thought sticking her up 6lb for a short-head win from Dreamloper here last time was as harsh as it could be, even if the third has come out and won since. But at least we have a well-related and improving filly on our hands, and one that is proven on the track and on the ground. She is a filly we liked last season and she is really coming good now. I’d expect her to run well in an admittedly very competitive handicap.
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