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15:20 Ascot

Saturday 12 August 2023

All13:3514:1014:4515:2015:5516:30

Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup Mile (Handicap) (Rnd)

Off time: 15:23 | Winning time: 1m 44.62s

Settings

Selected odds by:

(7)

The Wizard Of Eye^p⁸

Age: 4| Weight: 9-12| J: Tom Marquand| T: J S Moore| OR: 103| D

13/2

Signed off 2022 with a listed success at Kempton and, having struggled in a couple of Group races, he put in a decent shift back in handicap company when sixth in the 20-runner Golden Mile at Glorious Goodwood (soft) recently. Couldn't rule out here off a 2 lb lower mark.

Form: 1-36966

(11)

Freescape¹⁷

Age: 8| Weight: 9-11| J: Matthew Chadwick| T: D Marnane| OR: 102| D

66/1

Good strike rate on the AW (6-18) but he's winless following 32 attempts on turf and offered little back from a break at Naas 17 days ago.

Form: 1-57867

(3)

Escobar^t⁸

Age: 9| Weight: 9-11| J: Saffie Osborne| T: D O'Meara| OR: 102| CD

13/2

Smart performance when winning a valuable 17-runner handicap over 7f here (good to soft) in October. Yet to scale same heights this season but he's dangerous to discount given that his aforementioned success in the Challenge Cup was off a 5 lb higher mark.

Form: 344000

(4)

Fox Tal^h²¹¹

Age: 7| Weight: 9-10| J: J Moreira| T: A M Balding| OR: 101

20/1

Was returning from an 11-month absence when fourth in a 6-runner minor event at Newcastle (1m) in January. Resumes following another spell of inactivity here and he's anything but straightforward.

Form: 244/13-4

(12)

Excel Power¹³

Age: 5| Weight: 9-9| J: D P McDonogh| T: A Watson| OR: 100| D

40/1

Dual AW winner during the winter but yet to score off a mark this high and he was well held on recent return from a break in a listed event at Pontefract.

Form: 1712-66

(1)

Positive Impact¹⁸³

Age: 4| Weight: 9-9| J: Hayley Turner| T: S & E Crisford| OR: 100| D

10/1

Pretty impressive winner of a 1m Kempton handicap on his final 3-y-o start. Failed to fire in 2 outings in Dubai at the beginning of 2023 but contender if bouncing back to form after a break with Hayley Turner aboard.

Form: 5221-08

(6)

Perotto^h⁸

Age: 5| Weight: 9-7| J: Thore Hammer-Hansen| T: R Varian| OR: 98| CD

10/3

Off the mark for present yard when accounting for 14 rivals in a first-time hood at Sandown (1m, good) last month. Wasn't seen to best effect in the Golden Mile at Glorious Goodwood next time and he's high on the shortlist.

Form: 09-7017

(9)

Rainbow Fire²⁸

Age: 5| Weight: 9-7| J: O Peslier| T: M Botti| OR: 98

6/1

Quickly developed into a very useful 7f handicapper for this yard. By no means disgraced when mid-field in the Bunbury Cup at Newmarket (7f, good to soft) last time and interesting back up in trip (has performed with credit both previous starts at this trip) off a 1 lb lower mark.

Form: 31-2108

(10)

Empirestateofmind^b¹⁴

Age: 5| Weight: 9-7| J: L Dettori| T: J & S Quinn| OR: 98| D

5/2

Improved during second half of 2022, following success at Thirsk with a trio of good runner-up efforts. Also finished second at Newmarket in April and reproduction of that form would put him firmly in the picture with Frankie Dettori doing the steering.

Form: 2-72095

(8)

Silent Film³⁵

Age: 5| Weight: 9-7| J: Kazuo Yokoyama| T: Ian Williams| OR: 98| D

12/1

Produced one of his best efforts for Charlie Appleby when going close in a big-field 7f handicap here last September. Encouraging start for this yard at the Royal meeting but well behind Perotto over this trip at Sandown since.

Form: 20-5380

Non-Runners

(2)

Bear Force One⁵²

Weight: 9-5| Age: 7

T: R A Teal J: Reserve 1

(5)

Outbreak¹¹

Weight: 9-4| Age: 4

T: C Johnston J: Reserve 2

Forecasts

Empirestateofmind (5/2), Perotto (10/3), Rainbow Fire (6/1), The Wizard Of Eye (13/2), Escobar (13/2), Positive Impact (10/1), Bear Force One (10/1), Silent Film (12/1), Outbreak (16/1), Fox Tal (20/1), Excel Power (40/1), Freescape (66/1)

The vote goes to RAINBOW FIRE, who landed a useful Haydock handicap during the spring and while he has failed to reproduce that level of form in two subsequent starts, the 5-y-o is interesting now moving back up to a mile. Positive Impact will be a big threat if on-song and he is feared most ahead of Empirestateofmind and Perotto. Consideration should also be given to Escobar, who is now 5 lb lower than for his success in a major handicap here in 2022.