Weekend Racing: Expert Panel on Kempton, Chelmsford, the Curragh and Kelso

There are a pair of 100-rated horses in the Listed Snowdrop Fillies’ Stakes at Kempton - are they the two to focus on?

David Ord: The last 10 winners all brought triple-figure BHA ratings into it so it's certainly a good place to start. But I suspect we're going to see plenty of horses rated in the 80s and 90s having a shot at these Listed prizes throughout the year as the overall standard continues to slip. Enola Grey and Mother Mary are rated 84 and 82 respectively and can hardly be ruled out with much confidence, but Joseph O'Brien's Adelaise - just below the 100 mark on 98 at present - had some good all-weather form for the Meades and held her own in decent company on the turf in Ireland last season. She'll do for me.

Matt Brocklebank: My short answer would be 'yes' as Mystic Pearl in the first-time cheekpieces and the course and distance winner Choisya do make most appeal. The latter comes from a yard that looks to have hit the ground running and she's open to bags more improvement at four having ended last year with a handicap success here in November. She had a handier draw that day in two and now has to defy stall seven but she's quick from the gates and should be able to adopt a reasonable early position.

Andrew Asquith: Well, they set the standard as it stands and Choisya in particular can boast a very solid record on the all-weather, including over this course and distance which she won over last time. However, I suspect there are some in here who are open to more improvement and it is Many Tears who tops my list, even under her penalty. She has a bit to find on official figures but is very much unexposed on the all-weather and at this trip. She changed hands for 300,000 guineas in December and looks very interesting to me starting out for the James Ferguson yard.

How do you approach the Rosebery Handicap on the same card?

David Ord: He's hardly a dark horse but Intinso produced a career-best - and by some distance - when winning at Wolverhampton last month and an eight pounds rise might not stop him adding this more valuable prize to his haul. Still unexposed, in very good hands and from the family of Goldikova, the way he came clear of Haku suggested he's ready to build on the promise he showed as a three-year-old. Gelded over the winter, he's the sort to get on a roll.

Matt Brocklebank: Andrew Balding's three-year-olds were trapping along at a strike-rate close to 30% throughout the month of March (6-21) and I like the look of his Old Harrovian in the Rosebery this year. This chestnut son of Sea The Stars is unbeaten from two starts on all-weather surfaces (wins at Lingfield and Wolverhampton last April) and he can't have been right when last seen in a Newbury Group 3 the following month as he's been off the track since. It'll be interesting to see what the market makes of his chances on his belated return to action.

Andrew Asquith: I put Robusto up in the Weekend View column earlier in the week - along with Many Tears - but unfortunately he was balloted out on Thursday morning. That was a bit of a shame but now my focus is very much on Intinso who I think will prove hard to beat. He was well backed and looked a much improved performer when making a winning return at Wolverhampton last month, readily quickening clear on what was his first start since undergoing a gelding operation. Intinso in 8lb higher and in a deeper race now but there should be a fair bit more to come from him this year.

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And is there anything on your radar for the Queen’s Prize Handicap over two miles?

David Ord: It's no shock to see Sweet Fantasy priced up quite defensively as she's returning to the Flat on the back of two hurdles victories and does look quite well treated in this sphere if able to translate that soft-ground improvement over sticks back onto the all-weather. She ran well in a maiden here in her youth and went on to win at Southwell so the surface shouldn't be an issue. Her new connections could have a lot of fun with the mare this summer.

Matt Brocklebank: Right at the foot of the weights, I'm drawn to Circuit Breaker who has presumably been bought (for 260,000 guineas) with jumps in mind but is sticking to the Flat for now and looked on a steep upward curve when last seen in September. He's 1-1 on the all-weather, having won over this course and distance, and remains potentially very well handicapped.

Andrew Asquith: It is Sweet Fantasy who is the most interesting runner in this for me. She was progressive over middle distances for Ralph Beckett last season and has since won both of her starts over hurdles for James Owen. She was thoroughly dominant under a penalty at Plumpton last time, scoring by 17 lengths, and her Flat mark has been left unchanged. The step up to two miles should also bring out a bit of improvement and her new trainer is really making a name for himself.

Give us another horse of interest at Kelso or elsewhere this weekend…

David Ord: His penalty won't make it easy but Deepone can keep the O'Brien team honest in Sunday's Ballysax Stakes. He won three of his five starts at two, producing a career best to win the Beresford Stakes on his final start. He looked a work in progress, showing tendency to over-race, but was much more the finished article as he beat Chief Little Rock and there could be a chunk more to come at three for the excellent Paddy Twomey.

Matt Brocklebank: I'm far from convinced that Kelso will even be on, if truth be told, so will flag up the progressive grey Moogie, who looks to bring up her Chelmsford hat-trick in the 10-furlong handicap at 4.05. James Fanshawe's filly looks a typical late-bloomer for the yard and although hit with a 6lb hike for her latest course and distance success - having gone up 4lb for the first - she's bred to be Listed class and even has a Group 2 entry to her name, which strongly suggests we're only just scratching the surface.

Andrew Asquith: I was quite taken by the success of Cuban Tiger in a Listed race at Newcastle on Good Friday and he looks a horse to keep on the right side. He has been declared for a strong-looking conditions event at Chelmsford (3.30) where he will meet Orne on 5lb worse terms, but Cuban Tiger has some strong-looking form, beat that rival comfortably at Newcastle and is clearly on a steep upward curve. Connections clearly want to strike while the iron is hot and he has landed an excellent draw in stall two.

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