15:10 Ascot

Friday 4 October 2019

All14:0014:3515:1015:4516:2016:55

Amateur Jockeys Association Handicap (Gentleman Amateurs)

Off time: 15:10 | Winning time: 1m 35.12s

(3)

Cliffs Of Capri^p³⁴

Age: 5| Weight: 11-6| J: Mr Alex Ferguson| T: J A Osborne| OR: 93| CD

7/2

Driven clear by Alex Ferguson to justify favouritism in this contest last year - beat Manton Grange by 2¼L; short of room when seeking a challenging position at Goodwood (7f, good) on his penultimate start; probable player despite the soft ground.

Form: 033440

(1)

Raydiance¹³

Age: 4| Weight: 11-5| J: Mr Simon Walker| T: K R Burke| OR: 92| CD

7/4

Soft-ground C&D winner as a juvenile (Listed); 2lb higher than when winning at Redcar (7f, good) in June; fine third off this mark to Wise Counsel and the course specialist Redarna in a Class 3 handicap latest (Ayr, 7f); Simon Walker is booked.

Form: 134353

(8)

King's Pavilion²⁰

Age: 6| Weight: 11-0| J: Mr E Cagney⁽⁵⁾| T: J Ward| OR: 87| D

7/1

Versatile in terms of underfoot conditions and a winner of six of his 52 career starts; that said, everything points to him being strongest beyond 7f - won over 1m½f at Beverley in July; others have more solid credentials.

Form: 365185

(5)

Parys Mountain^h,t¹⁵

Age: 5| Weight: 10-8| J: Mr William Easterby| T: T D Easterby| OR: 81| D

9/1

Ran no sort of race whatsoever at Ayr (7f, good) a fortnight ago when bidding to build upon his previous Class 4 Chester success (7½f, good); handles soft, the stable are going well, yet it's difficult to be overly confident.

Form: 602910

(4)

Rafiot¹⁶⁵

Age: 3| Weight: 10-7| J: Mr George Gorman⁽³⁾| T: G & J Moore| OR: 82

20/1

Bought for €22,000 in July 2019, and you just wonder if hurdling is the longer-term objective; driven out to score by a neck on debut in a 1m2f AW maiden at Cagnes-sur-mer in January (for C.Ferland).

Form: 145

(6)

Marshal Dan⁴¹

Age: 4| Weight: 10-6| J: Mr J Harding| T: H Main| OR: 79| D

7/2

His three 7f turf wins (two this year) have come on good to firm ground; 4lb higher than when beating Majestic Mac by 1¼L at Newbury in July; potentially better than the bare result latest (hampered); can't be totally discounted.

Form: 127143

(2)

Hawridge Storm²¹

Age: 3| Weight: 10-2| J: Mr Patrick Millman| T: B R Millman| OR: 77

16/1

Still a maiden (0-8) and there must be serious concerns as to his actual prowess on soft ground; unfortunately is often slowly away and that's a definite barrier to success - runner-up in a 1m Ffos Las novice on his penultimate start; most unlikely.

Form: 5-02825

Non-Runners

(7)

Greenside⁹⁰

Weight: 11-7| Age: 8

T: H Candy J: Non Runner

Forecasts

Raydiance (7/4), Greenside (10/3), Cliffs Of Capri (7/2), Marshal Dan (7/2), King's Pavilion (7/1), Parys Mountain (9/1), Hawridge Storm (16/1), Rafiot (20/1)

Last year's winner Cliffs of Capri promises to be a real threat despite the rain-softened ground, while the battle-hardened Greenside is just an all round thoroughly likeable and reliable handicapper. However, the horse to be with could well be the Karl Burke-trained RAYDIANCE. A soft-ground C&D winning juvenile (Listed), he ran a solid race in defeat (third) at Ayr on his most recent outing and with the excellent Simon Walker in the saddle boasts solid credentials in this Class 3 Gentleman Amateurs' handicap.