Simon Holt fancies Solid Stone to score at Newbury on Saturday and he's also got a recommended bet before the ITV cameras get rolling at Newbury.
During his long and illustrious training career, Sir Michael Stoute has been particularly renowned for improving horses from three to four-years-old and beyond, and SOLID STONE could well follow that trend this season beginning with victory in the Unibet "15-To-Go" Every ITV Royal Ascot Race Handicap at Sandown on Saturday.
The son of Shamardal was a winner first time out at Newmarket last term and also ran well on his final three starts, two of them on this course when second to Maamora (Group Two placed since in Dubai) over this distance of a mile (five lengths clear of the rest) and then third in a hot handicap over a mile and a quarter.
In-between, Solid Stone had a stiff task in hindsight at Yarmouth when comfortably brushed aside by Bless Him who followed up two weeks later at Ascot.
Still lightly raced, and now gelded, this genuine type seems to have been found a less competitive opportunity by his shrewd trainer on this first start of a new campaign.
Some of the other televised races on Saturday look quite tricky and, before ITV go on air, SEA FOX is fancied to capitalise on a lenient handicap mark in the Watch And Bet With MansionBet At Newbury Handicap.
The six-year-old is not the force of old compared to when rated in the high 90s and (briefly) over 100 but he must be a very sound horse as he races often and still wins in his turn.
I suspect his turn will come again in this race after an eye-catching reappearance at Kempton last week when, after a slow start, he ran on strongly into sixth behind Gossiping over seven furlongs.
Sea Fox was not unduly knocked about that day but has been dropped a further 1lb by the handicapper to a career-low mark having scored twice off higher ratings when returning from a break last October/November.
Up to a mile here, Eoin Walsh's mount must have leading claims in a modest field.
Posted at 1520 BST on 12/06/20
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