Finest Sound features among Simon Holt's four selections for Thursday's action at Royal Ascot - check out his latest preview.
Stradivarius is the star of the show at Ascot on Thursday when John Gosden's superb stayer bids to win a third Gold Cup but, at cramped odds, he hardly looks a betting proposition and had a hard enough race I thought when third in the fast-run Coronation Cup behind Ghaiyyath just under a fortnight ago.
Inevitably, the search for winners at better prices sends us in the direction of some extremely competitive supporting races and my first suggestion is REGAL REALITY in the listed Wolferton Stakes.
This quirky customer, who often needs leading to post, is pretty smart at his best and a third behind Enable and Magical in last year's Coral-Eclipse was an excellent effort while he was far from disgraced in the Juddmonte International in August.
Regal Reality ran below-par on his final start here in the Champion Stakes (finishing behind the re-opposing Fox Tal) but was probably unsuited by making the running. On his best form, and on official ratings, he has strong claims and the fact he has been gelded since last season could help him grow up and fulfil his undoubted potential for a trainer who specialises in improving horses as they get older.
In the Jersey Stakes, FINAL SONG is fancied to take advantage of her sex allowance after a fine fourth behind Love in the 1000 Guineas.
William Buick's mount held every chance that day running down into the dip but a stiff mile stretches her stamina and the drop back to seven furlongs here has to be a positive.
Final Song had some smart juvenile form last year, including finishing third at this meeting in the Queen Mary, and then ran well in Dubai.
Her Guineas run has seen her official rating rise to 107 which gives her every chance here, especially when factoring in that 3lb weight allowance.
Later on, FINEST SOUND is another with a good chance at the weights in the Britannia Handicap.
The son of Exceed And Excel showed promise last season but, reappearing at Haydock on his reappearance after a wind operation and having been gelded, he looked completely transformed hacking up by five-and-a-half lengths off a mark of 82.
A 5lb penalty means Finest Sound has to run here off 87 but he is actually 7lb well in as his future rating has been raised to 94.
Finally, SOFFIKA is taken to relish the stiff mile in the Sandringham Handicap.
The daughter of Zoffany is quite stoutly bred on her dam's side and was putting in good late work when second in the seven-furlong Sweet Solera Stakes at Newmarket on the second of two starts last year.
Soffika looks a viable alternative dropped back into handicap company to the likely short-priced favourite African Dream who appeared to show much improved form when beaten a nose by the 106-rated Stylistique at Newbury (7f) last week.
John Gosden's filly was also conceding 7lb to the winner that day so no wonder the handicapper has put her on a new rating of 96 which, even so, allows for a well below-par performance by the winner.
If the official reaction is correct, African Dream is thrown-in off 80 here but can she really have taken such a massive step forward since beating the 78-rated Rhyme Scheme (well beaten since) at Lingfield in March? And, quite speedily bred, will she definitely relish an extra furlong?
It's a fascinating conundrum.
Posted at 1730 BST on 17/06/20
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