Racing tips: Al Aasy will have too much class for the Rose Of Lancaster field

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Brighton was abandoned so my strongest fancy of the day didn't get to run with them taking 2 hours to decide enough was enough and just the first race taking place, which was with a flag start. 

Other than Brighton's shambles the 2yo Godolphin debutante ran well at Newmarket but was collared in the final 50 yards or so by the favourite who was well-fancied from the Ralph Beckett stable.

Ascot 2:10 – The Very Man 7/2 (1pt)

Ascot is a track which dries up very quickly due to the good drainage they have, so I'd expect the ground to be good to soft as they are expecting a few showers to land. That won't be ideal ground for The Very Man but he proved that he handles quicker than heavy/soft when finishing 4th at the Curragh on good ground.

This horse has been given two stinking rides from his last two runs. He has been given mission impossible on both occasions, being positioned in the back for the entire race and then asked to make up too much ground in the final stages of the race, which is never going to happen on tracks like the Curragh and Galway, especially in big field tough handicaps. However, the ground he did make up was significant and enough for me to think he could be well treated off his handicap mark. It might sound crazy to say that he's well treated off a mark of 94 as a 9yo, but he has only ever run 5 times on the flat and the last two runs were very impressive even though he didn't win.

I don't think this race is full of horses who are ahead of their mark, and I think it's best to side with an unexposed horse at the trip than going back to horses who sit around the same handicap mark and continue to get beat. I thought Prydwen was the danger, I think the step up in trip would help him and his form is strong.

Ascot 2:45 – Pride Of Priory 9/2 (1pt PaddyPower)

We're going to need a bit of luck to see Pride Of Priory run at the Shergar Cup meeting as he is the first reserve, but I think there's nothing lost in backing him.

If he runs then I think he has a great chance of winning, with this obviously being his main aim for the season. If he doesn't run, then we get our money back, so I think it's a win/win.

He won this race 12 months ago off the same handicap mark, so there's already proof in the pudding that he likes this track and he's well-handicapped enough to win a race of this nature. He won quite convincingly 12 months ago, but that was on faster ground than what he'll get today, but that's not to say he won't handle today's ground. He is by Pivotal, who has produced many soft ground horses, and horses that go on any ground. His prep run was a decent effort at Ripon, which saw him finish 3rd, and that came on soft ground. I fully doubt that he was anywhere near to being fully wound up for that assignment as today's race will have always been the plan with a good pot on offer and him running off last year's winning mark.

Haydock 3:00 – Al Aasy 15/8 (2pt)

The fact that Al Aasy went off at 10/3 for his last start was completely baffling to me. I fancied him when he was an odds-on shot, if he was 10/3 at the time I was doing that day of racing he would've been NAP material as I thought he should've been shorter than the opening odds of 10/11!

This doesn't look to be a strong race as I think Al Aasy is the correct favourite and he is at a backable price of 15/8/. I won't be getting too stuck into him as he has been hot and cold over the last 12 months, but he is the class horse in this race and that's not even up for debate. He beat Phantom Flight last time around, that's not great form but I thought he beat him with ease and the way he went through that race looked like the Al Aasy of old. If he puts in a repeat performance then he should be tough to beat.

Midnight Mile won last time out in Class 1 company and it was a pain to see that as I put her up the time before at Royal Ascot. I don't rate that piece of form though, she beat a 99-rated 4yo filly by 2L, so it doesn't seem great and even with the weight for age allowance and sex allowance, I think she's got it all to do against my selection.

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