Alex Hammond: Great expectations! | Latest blog includes the John Smith's Cup at York

There were some significant performances from a number of horses last weekend with Pinatubo the headline act in the Prix Jean Prat at Deauville on Sunday.

It was important for his future stallion career to bag a Group 1 win as a three-year-old and whilst his performance was still lacking the brilliance of his incredible juvenile campaign, it was pleasing nonetheless and I thought he travelled exceptionally well throughout this seven-furlong contest.

Seven furlongs, that’s the thing. It’s possible that the mile has just stretched him in the 2000 Guineas and St James’s Palace Stakes. He is blessed with plenty of speed and whilst he probably stays a mile, he might not stay it as well as some.

I’m sure Charlie Appleby has felt huge pressure to get this colt back in the headlines and it’s now job done. Charlie spoke to us on Sky Sports Racing on Tuesday and reported that his superstar flew back home on Monday and has come out of the race well.

Since returning to Newmarket he’s been turned out in the paddock and had a buck and a kick, so clearly not feeling any effects of his run. His trainer also suggested he may have been outstayed on the day in his first two runs of the season.

So, what’s the plan? Well his end of season target is the Breeders’ Cup Mile and they are going to work back from that. He has a variety of options including the Sussex Stakes at Goodwood, but that will most likely come too quickly. He could return to France for the Prix du Moulin at ParisLongchamp in September or the Prix de la Foret on Arc weekend.

The Godolphin team have a bit of juggling to do with their big guns this season. You’d imagine Earthlight, Victor Ludorum and Pinatubo all need similar conditions, so keeping them apart will be their main problem. All roads lead to Kentucky in November for last season’s champion juvenile though.

Another horse to have on your radar going forward is Mohaather who was incredibly impressive in winning the Summer Mile at Ascot on Saturday.

Regular readers of this blog will know that I really fancied him to gain compensation for an unlucky run in the Queen Anne at Royal Ascot last month and had backed him antepost to win the Group 2 last weekend.

I’ve subsequently gone in again and backed him for the Sussex Stakes for which he’s now 5/2 second favourite with Sky Bet behind Irish 2000 Guineas winner Siskin (6/4). I know Siskin will get an 8lb weight for age allowance in the one-mile Group 1, but we are still learning about him and I think Mohaather will have no problems with the cambers of Goodwood as he’s an athletic type.

As you can tell, I’m a big fan.

It’s been a momentous week for a couple of jockeys too with the news that Barry Geraghty has called time on his stellar riding career at the age of 40 having won pretty much every significant race in the National Hunt calendar.

He’s been a great ambassador for our sport and I look forward to seeing what he does next. When I spoke to him on Sky Sports this week he seemed like he was very much at peace with his decision and was looking forward to what the future holds, which could also include a sideline in broadcasting.

The next question is, who will get the number one job for JP McManus? Aidan Coleman and Jonjo O’Neill Junior have both been mentioned as possible successors.

At the other end of the career spectrum, Cieren Fallon is now a Group 1-winning rider on just his second attempt in that grade at the tender age of 21 thanks to his win in the July Cup on improving sprinter Oxted.

He’s bred for the job of course, but you have to be dedicated as well as talented in this era and he has both in abundance. His father Kieren Fallon took ten years to ride his first Group 1 winner, so Fallon junior can claim the bragging rights on that score.

We don’t have such a high-class weekend of action across the board to preview this week (Irish Oaks aside) but it’s incredibly competitive with the John Smith’s Cup at York one of the highlights and a punters conundrum.

It’s interesting that Saeed bin Suroor has Cieren Fallon “jocked up” on Great Example. You may remember the trainer booked the young apprentice to ride Red Galileo in last year’s Ebor and the pair were just touched off in that valuable York handicap.

Does compensation await on the Knavesmire here? He’s 12/1 at the time of writing with Sky Bet, so could be each-way value in this fiercely competitive race. There shouldn’t be much between himself and Caradoc on a run at Newbury last season, but Caradoc is 7/1 co-favourite after an eye-catching run at Epsom last time out.

I’d be wary of Harrovian too after his win at Doncaster last time, he looks thoroughly progressive for John Gosden.

We are gradually building a picture with this year’s crop of two-year-olds and there are some strong form lines for the Weatherbys Super Sprint which this year has been rescheduled to be run at Newbury this Sunday.

Richard Hannon(s) have a good record in this race and Queen Mary fifth Happy Romance will be a leading contender if lining up (11/2 second fav with Sky Bet). I like Clive Cox’s Get It though who is 5/1 market leader. The form of his Newmarket debut is working out incredibly well, as is his fourth place in the Windsor Castle at Royal Ascot.

As for the aforementioned Irish Oaks, Ennistymon is my idea of the winner for Aidan O’Brien who, needless to say, is mob handed in the classic. This filly has been a bit unlucky to bump into Frankly Darling in the Ribblesdale and the imperious Love in the Oaks and she could bag her own top-level victory at the Curragh on Saturday evening. She’s in to 5/1 with Sky Bet.

Responsible gambling

We are committed in our support of responsible gambling. Recommended bets are advised to over-18s and we strongly encourage readers to wager only what they can afford to lose.

Sky Bet's responsible gambling tools are detailed here and if you are concerned about your gambling, please call the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133, or visit begambleaware.org.

Further support and information can be found at GamCare and gamblingtherapy.org.