Fran Berry column ahead of Chester Cup ride on Magic Circle
Fran Berry looks ahead to his choice ride on Magic Circle in Friday's Chester Cup and guides us through his weekend chances.
I've quite a busy day coming up on Friday, thank God, and obviously the one I'm looking forward most is the Ian Williams-trained Magic Circle in the 188Bet Chester Cup Handicap.
I've never won the race, in fact my only previous ride it came when fifth on the same horse last year and with a better draw I honestly feel he'd have gone extremely close to winning.
It was a fantastic effort from stall 18 and he returns to Chester just 3lb higher in the weights this year in the silks of Marwan Koukash.
He was bought at the horses in training sale and presumably the Chester Cup has been the target ever since and, importantly, he's fared much better with the draw in stall six.
He's quite adaptable in terms of conditions and while he probably wouldn't it to be on the firm side, the ground should be fine for him. Connections seem pleased with him so with a bit of luck he should be there or thereabouts when it matters.
My other Chester ride is Cosmeapolitan in the Boodles Diamond Handicap.
His chances aren't quite so obvious and it's a seriously competitive 10-furlong handicap, as this race tends to be, but he's a capable horse. If you put a line through his Newcastle run, which can be excused due a switch in surface, he's not out of it and he's still fairly unexposed on turf.
It's onto Nottingham for the evening shift and I get the leg-up again on Chanson De La Mer for her third career run in the Castle Rock Brewery Session IPA Fillies' Novice Stakes.
I was quite taken with her when fourth at 100/1 in the Newmarket maiden won by Qazyna as she was quite keen in the first half of the race there.
She may well be a better filly over a mile and a quarter in time and she'll have to step up again to win here, but she looks capable of further progress and shouldn't be discounted.
Sinfonietta is another horse I ride for trainer David Menuisier, who had a winner recently and could be on the verge of a good few months.
This horse is a course and distance winner and while he has top weight, the Castle Rock Brewery Elsie Mo Handicap represents a slight drop in class.
He ran well in the Irish Cambridgeshire last year so isn't handicapped out of things and he's got a decent draw in stall five.
Hopefully he's come on for his run at the Craven Meeting at Newmarket on his season return.
Another trainer that seems to be going through the gears now is Henry Candy and his Eula Varner goes in the Castle Rock Brewery Harvest Pale Fillies' Handicap.
I suspect she'll come on for her first run in 345 days and in truth I don't know much about her other than looking through her form and watching the replays, but she returns off the same mark as when third on her handicap debut around this time last year and I'd imagine there will be more to come from her this year.
Mankind makes his handicap debut in the VAT & Fiddle Nottingham Handicap.
I rode George Scott's charge at Newmarket where he wasn't really suited the the slowly-run race and didn't get a lot of room.
He then got outpaced and didn't handle the dip brilliantly so he could improve on that in first-time cheekpieces here.
The obvious issue is that he's top weight and who knows what may be lurking down the bottom of the weights - something could be rated 90 by the end of the year - but his work has been good and George is quite happy with him.
It's from an unexposed three-year-old to the 10-year-old Whitecrest in the Castle Rock Screech Own Handicap but the assessor has given John Spearing's mare a bit of a sniff again with a mark of 62 and if it's a going day she could definitely play a part.
She won three times in 2017 from marks of 60, 65 and 71, so it's clear she's on a fair rating.
It's great to be riding at Ascot on Saturday as the season really enters a busy stage and I'm glad to have picked up four nice rides on the day.
I rode Machine Learner in work prior to his first run last year when he won at Sandown and he did well for connections in 2017 despite not adding to his tally.
Testing ground wouldn't have played to his strengths towards the end of last season and it wouldn't be a surprise to see him come back with a strong showing in the Les Ambassadeurs Casino Handicap.
He's a hold-up horse so stall 15 over a mile and a half at Ascot shouldn't be too much of an issue.
Queen Of Time is an interesting one and she returns to action in the EBF "Breeders" Series Fillies' Handicap just seven days after unseating her rider at Goodwood.
Thankfully, the horse and Kieran Shoemark are both absolutely fine after clipping heels that day and whereas she might have gone up a few pounds had she finished second or third in that Listed race, she resumes in handicap company off the same mark of 95.
She was fourth in the Sandringham at Ascot last summer so has a bit of class, as well as smart course form, so I fancy her to run very well.
Shady McCoy doesn't have an easy task in the totescoop6 Victoria Cup. It's his first run of the season and it's obviously an ultra-competitive contest with plenty of lightly-raced, younger horses in there.
Having said that, the draw might be okay in stall 21 and he won on his last visit to Ascot. Course form on the straight track at Ascot is always important and Ian (Williams) reports him in top condition.
Glorious Politics has gone up 2lb for his last win and should be competitive back on turf in the Leo Bancroft Signature Haircare Handicap. His couple of runs this year have been progressive and David Barron is a great trainer when it comes to such sprinters.