14:25 Sandown

Friday 27 April 2018

All13:5014:2515:0015:3516:0516:3517:05

bet365 Gordon Richards Stakes (Group 3)

Off time: 14:25 | Winning time: 2m 11.48s

(6)

Almodovar⁵⁸⁹

Age: 6| Weight: 9-0| J: K Shoemark| T: H & R Charlton| OR: 110| BF| D

7/1

Best effort when third in the Hardwicke Stakes at Royal Ascot in 2016. Has had his problems since and makes his first appearance since pulling up at Ayr in Sepetmber of the same year. Tough task after such a lay-off.

Form: 12137P/

(2)

Crystal Ocean²²³

Age: 4| Weight: 9-0| J: R L Moore| T: Sir Michael Stoute| OR: 118| D

1/1

Progressive and likeable sort who rounded off last season with an excellent second in the St Leger. Top stable won this last year with the high-class Ulysses and this colt could be cut from the same cloth.

Form: 2/13312-

(7)

Fabricate^p²⁷

Age: 6| Weight: 9-0| J: James Doyle| T: M L W Bell| OR: 112| D

4/1

Talented performer who looked as good as ever when comfortably landing a Listed contest on his seasonal reappearance at Kempton. Just as effective on turf and is likely to be thereabouts again despite this step up in class.

Form: 46115-1

(3)

First Sitting¹⁹⁵

Age: 7| Weight: 9-0| J: G Mosse| T: C F Wall| OR: 114| D

25/1

Experienced campaigner who won a Group 3 contest at Deauville last summer before disappointing in two subsequent Group contests. Only seventh of eight in this race last year.

Form: 713187-

(1)

Morando¹⁹⁹

Age: 5| Weight: 9-0| J: Oisin Murphy| T: A M Balding| OR: 113

7/1

Won four times when trained by Roger Varian, including a Listed contest over 1m at Windsor last summer. Seemed to stay this sort of trip when second in France on final outing of last season and can go well on first start for new stable.

Form: 17/1432-

(5)

What About Carlo⁶

Age: 7| Weight: 9-0| J: Charles Bishop| T: Eve Johnson Houghton| OR: 109| C| D

8/1

Talented on his day and did nothing wrong when chasing home the very useful Defoe at Newbury on his seasonal reappearance. May find one or two of these rivals too classy, however.

Form: 10925-3

Non-Runners

(4)

Spark Plug¹⁷⁴

Weight: 9-0| Age: 7

T: B J Meehan J: Tom Marquand

Forecasts

Crystal Ocean (1/1), Fabricate (4/1), Morando (7/1), Almodovar (7/1), What About Carlo (8/1), Spark Plug (10/1), First Sitting (25/1)

A decent renewal of this Group 3 contest which revolves around CRYSTAL OCEAN, who was a progressive three-year-old and, given his top trainer's record of improving horses, promises to develop into a top-class perfomer this season. He should be too classy for these rivals, although the consistent Fabricate should give him a race and Morando is respected on his fist start for a new stable.