16:15 Sandown

Saturday 8 July 2023

All13:5014:2515:0015:4016:1516:5017:25

Coral Play 'Racing-Super-Series' For Free Handicap

Off time: 16:16 | Winning time: 2m 8.08s

Settings

Selected odds by:

(11)

Aikhal^b1,t¹⁵

Age: 4| Weight: 10-2| J: Saffie Osborne| T: J A Osborne| OR: 102| D

40/1

Smart at his best for Aidan O'Brien but he was out with the washing starting out for new connections on return in the Duke of Edinburgh at Royal Ascot. The first-time tongue strap he sported that day is retained and blinkers are also added.

Form: 16568-0

(6)

Honiton³⁶

Age: 4| Weight: 9-11| J: W Buick| T: J & T Gosden| OR: 97| CD

17/2

Wide-margin C&D winner last season and stepped up on his reappearance effort back on better ground when landing a Newmarket handicap in May. However, latest effort at Epsom was underwhelming and he's opposable on the back of that.

Form: 310-410

(9)

Haunted Dream¹⁵

Age: 4| Weight: 9-10| J: J P Spencer| T: E A L Dunlop| OR: 96| D

16/1

Reliable sort who enhanced good strike rate on the AW when scoring at Chelmsford in April. However, failed to land a blow off this mark at Royal Ascot since and likely to come up short once again.

Form: 2213-10

(13)

Paradias²²

Age: 4| Weight: 9-9| J: Hollie Doyle| T: A King| OR: 95| CD

5/1

Good second to a progressive one from the Gosden yard on return at Windsor and went one better in gritty fashion when seeing off Lord Protector over this C&D, with Aramaic (fourth) and Spirit of The Bay (seventh) also adrift. 5 lb rise tolerable and he has to enter calculations.

Form: 6236-21

(2)

Lord Protector²²

Age: 5| Weight: 9-8| J: Rossa Ryan| T: R M Beckett| OR: 94| CD

5/1

Winner of C&D handicap last June and returned to form when touched off by Paradias in this year's renewal of the same race. Meets that rival on 1 lb better terms now and it should again be close between them.

Form: 50-7982

(8)

Majestic³⁶

Age: 5| Weight: 9-6| J: R L Moore| T: J Channon| OR: 92| BF

4/1

Won the Cambridgeshire at Newmarket on final 4-y-o start and has made a solid start to the new campaign, on his latest start finishing second of 11 over 1¼m at the Epsom Derby meeting. Key player off the same mark here with Ryan Moore aboard.

Form: 61-4942

(10)

Moktasaab^v³⁰

Age: 5| Weight: 9-6| J: Andrea Atzeni| T: W J Knight| OR: 92| D

10/1

Improved when winning handicaps on first 2 starts for this yard last spring and performed to a similar level when fifth of 13 in a typically competitive York contest in May. However, he was pretty disappointing in a first-time visor (retained) on the AW last time.

Form: 627-457

(7)

Tregony²⁷

Age: 5| Weight: 9-5| J: K Shoemark| T: C G Cox| OR: 91| D

16/1

Superb strike rate, completing a 4-timer in 2021 and signed off 2022 with a hat-trick of big-field handicap victories on the AW. Didn't do much wrong when fourth off 11 on her reappearance at Beverley (1¼m, good to firm) but this demands a clear career-best.

Form: 42111-4

(3)

Aramaic^t1²²

Age: 5| Weight: 9-4| J: Tom Marquand| T: W J Haggas| OR: 90| BF| D

7/1

Firmly on the up in 2021 and, having missed the whole of last season, he proved that his ability remains intact when sixth of 13 in handicap at York (10.2f, good to firm) in May. Around 6 lengths adrift of Paradias and Lord Protector over C&D since but now 2 lb lower and he's not discounted.

Form: 2114/64

(4)

Mustazeed⁵⁰

Age: 5| Weight: 9-2| J: Hayley Turner| T: Harry Eustace| OR: 88| D

7/1

Improved when making a winning start for this yard on return at Newbury (1¼m, heavy) in April. Further progress when following up over the same C&D (good to firm) the following month and this 5 lb higher mark may well be within his reach.

Form: 0292-11

(5)

Postmark^t²¹

Age: 4| Weight: 9-1| J: P J Dobbs| T: M F Harris| OR: 87| D

66/1

Dual Flat winner last summer and opened account over hurdles at Newbury (16.3f) in February. Not improved on that subsequently in that sphere, though, and safely held back on the Flat at York 3 weeks ago.

Form: 41130-8

(12)

Spirit Of The Bay^p²²

Age: 5| Weight: 9-1| J: William Cox| T: C G Cox| OR: 87| C| D

40/1

Better than ever when landing a 7-runner handicap at Haydock (10.2f, good to firm) on penultimate start but she was behind a few of these over C&D last time. Others preferred.

Form: 08-9417

(1)

Yantarni³⁴

Age: 4| Weight: 9-0| J: Jim Crowley| T: Ian Williams| OR: 86

18/1

Off the mark for Charlie Appleby in 1m Newmarket handicap last summer but he has come up short both starts for new connections. Doesn't appear to be crying out for this step up in trip and, all things considered, it's probably best to look elsewhere.

Form: 2/120-74

Forecasts

Majestic (4/1), Lord Protector (5/1), Paradias (5/1), Aramaic (7/1), Mustazeed (7/1), Honiton (17/2), Moktasaab (10/1), Haunted Dream (16/1), Tregony (16/1), Yantarni (18/1), Spirit Of The Bay (40/1), Aikhal (40/1), Postmark (66/1)

There could be more to come from MUSTAZEED, who has landed back-to-back Newbury handicaps for his new yard this season and a 5 lb rise for his latest success doesn't look at all prohibitive. Lord Protector returned to form from out of the blue when touched off by Paradias over C&D and it would be no surprise were he to reverse the placings with that rival and emerge as the main danger. The booking of Ryan Moore is an obvious plus where Majestic is concerned and he is also accorded respect.