The top commentator has two fancies on Saturday's card at Newbury including The Tin Man in the Bet365 Hackwood Stakes.
Recommended bets:
2pts win The Tin Man in 3.00 Newbury at 9/4
2pts win The Grand Visir in 2.25 Newbury at 7/1
THE TIN MAN, a regular Group One class sprinter who didn't get the rub of the green in last month's Diamond Jubilee Stakes, looks a solid bet to repeat his 2016 victory in the Group Three bet365 Hackwood Stakes at Newbury on Saturday.
James Fanshawe's seven-year-old was slowly into stride, last in the first furlong and was then forced to switch when making headway at the Royal meeting before finishing sixth to Blue Point in a race he also won in 2017.
A three-time winner at the highest level, including when taking the Haydock Sprint Cup last September (Donjuan Triumphant fourth), this looks a good opportunity providing he doesn’t fluff the start again and Oisin Murphy can obtain a decent position.
Earlier, THE GRAND VISIR is taken to follow up his breakthrough Ascot Stakes success last month in the Marsh Handicap.
This lightly-raced son of Frankel has promised much in the past but may well have needed time to develop the strength to match his massive frame, and his big win at the Royal meeting came at the expense of a well-fancied rival in the Willie Mullins-trained Buildmeupbuttercup (Coeur De Lion fifth).
A good winner over a mile-and-three-quarters at Doncaster last October when trained by John Butler, his new handler Ian Williams tried him unsuccessfully over hurdles before getting him back on track on the Flat, and he now looks open to further improvement.
If rain turns the ground to good to soft, then that would be perfect whereas there is a slight doubt over the likely favourite Carnwennan being ideally suited by such a surface after two soft ground defeats in the past.
Northumberland Plate winner Who Dares Wins has also been successful over hurdles at Newbury and is now 4lb higher than when finishing third behind Coeur Blimey and Coeur De Lion over two-and-a-quarter miles here on the Flat in April.
Preview posted at 1300 BST on 19/07/19