Simon Holt is backing the northern yard of Tim Easterby to land a significant blow at Royal Ascot on Friday - check out his selections.
Recommended bets
2pts win Teppal in 4.20 Royal Ascot at 7/1
2pts win Wells Farhh Go in 3.05 Royal Ascot at 12/1
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Drawing the strands of Classic form together for Friday's clash of the Guineas winners in the Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot is anything but simple, but TEPPAL is marginally preferred over Alpha Centauri and Billesdon Brook.
David Simcock's filly, who made a big impression on this observer in her two victories last season, returned in the French 1,000 Guineas at Longchamp and, always travelling well for Olivier Peslier, battled home gamely for a narrow defeat of the re-opposing Coeur De Beaute.
The form of that race carries mixed messages as, while third-placed Wind Chimes has disappointed since, both the sixth Musis Amica (second in the Prix de Diane last Sunday) and eighth Could It Be Love (runner-up to Alpha Centauri in the Irish Guineas) have run very well indeed.
But it was interesting to hear how impressed Peslier was with Teppal on the way to post at Longchamp and, even if her pedigree suggests a mile will be her absolute maximum, I suspect she has just a touch of class.
Alpha Centauri will certainly stay this stiff mile well having cut back the trail-blazing Could It Be Love at The Curragh, and she was a good second at this meeting last year in the Albany Stakes.
However, lines through the third Happily and fifth Soliloquy suggests there is nothing between the Irish and English Guineas form, the latter race producing a surprise result with Billesdon Brook quickening well to win at 66/1 despite having been only fourth to Soliloquy previously in the Nell Gwyn Stakes (Threading seventh).
The Newmarket form looks okay, though both Lauren (second) and Happily (third) have since improved over a longer trip. Now, Richard Hannon's filly needs to prove that her victory that day was no fluke.
Of the others, Clemmie is certainly a possibility even though well beaten in the Irish Guineas. Aidan O'Brien's charge was not given a hard time and any reproduction of her Group wins at Newmarket last season would see her competitive even though she was well behind Alpha Centauri here last year (improved subsequently.) Veracious, a superbly-bred daughter of Frankel, is also interesting though this is much tougher compared to her four-length maiden win at Newmarket last October.
On a difficult card, my other selection is WELLS FARHH GO in the King Edward VII Stakes.
Considered a potential St Leger candidate by connections, Tim Easterby's charge will appreciate a step up in distance here and probably needed the outing when sixth after a nine-month absence in the Dante Stakes at York.
On the same course, Wells Farhh Go was successful in both his juvenile starts, putting up a particularly taking performance to beat the very useful James Garfield in the Acomb Stakes in August.
With plenty of stamina in his pedigree, a good deal of improvement could be forthcoming here against useful but not apparently top class opposition, the most promising of which are probably the Derby (well beaten) sixth Delano Roosevelt and John Gosden's raised-in-class Raa Atoll, who justified favouritism at Nottingham and Leicester last month.
