Tony McFadden provides an overview of the key things to note on Friday.
Three points of interest
Do Or Do Not is clear on ratings in the Gimcrack
Do Or Do Not may still be a maiden but he boasts comfortably the strongest form credentials in an underwhelming edition of the Gimcrack Stakes (15:00); indeed, Do Or Do Not has the three strongest pieces of form available.
He was 80/1 when runner-up in the Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot, chasing home this season's highest-rated juvenile Gstaad at a respectable distance, but showed that to be no fluke when filling the same position behind subsequent Vintage Stakes winner Zavateri in the July Stakes at Newmarket.
Do Or Do Not was beaten slightly further by Zavateri when third in the Vintage at Goodwood, but that was still a creditable effort and one which took his earnings past the 75,000 guineas connections paid for him as a yearling.
His rating is still some way shy of what it typically takes to win a Gimcrack, but this doesn't look like an up-to-scratch edition and he sets the clear standard, heading Timeform's ratings by 6 lb from Reciprocated.
Flags point towards progressive Zgharta
Zgharta was one who caught the Timeform reporter's eye at Goodwood last month, earning the Horse In Focus Flag which is awarded to those who shaped so well that they are likely to be of firm interest next time.
Zgharta had shaped better than the bare result when seventh on her handicap debut in the Sandringham at Royal Ascot and it was a similar story at Goodwood where she left the impression she has a bigger effort in her locker when everything clicks.
She had to wait for a gap over a furlong out, but she picked up nicely when the splits appeared and finished with something still in the tank in fifth. Given that run failed to get to the bottom of her, Zgharta unsurprisingly retains the Timeform 'small p' to show that improvement is expected.
Perhaps Oisin Murphy, the new retained rider for owner Imad Al Sagar, will have a positive impact as his booking for the mile-and-a-quarter fillies' handicap has generated Timeform's Jockey Uplift Flag.
Lack of juvenile winners shouldn't be a concern for Lady Iman or Spicy Marg supporters
A two-year-old has not won the Nunthorpe since Kingsgate Native scored in 2007 but juveniles are far from at a disadvantage, according to Timeform.
Two-year-old colts and geldings receive 22 lb from three-year-olds and 24 lb from four-year-olds and up to account for their lack of physical maturity. However, Timeform believes this weight-for-age allowance is too generous and that a concession of 16 lb would be fairer.
This year's juvenile representatives Lady Iman and Spicy Marg both receive a further 3 lb on account of being fillies.
Timeform Flat editor David Johnson said: "The weight-for-age allowance for juveniles is a largely academic matter, because so rarely do two-year-olds take on their older rivals, but the Nunthorpe is one such opportunity and Timeform's analysis of the data is unequivocal in concluding that the allowance is generous, something that anyone who regularly factors weight for age into timefigures would confirm.
"Whether Lady Iman and Spicy Marg are able to win the Nunthorpe on Friday remains to be seen, but the fact they are juveniles should be seen as a positive to their chance, rather than a negative."
A total of 13 juveniles have contested the Nunthorpe since Kingsgate Native's victory in 2007 and three of them finished placed. Acapulco (2015) and The Platinum Queen (2022) were runner-up, while Radiohead (2009) was third.
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