Racing tips: Knight looks hard to oppose on soft ground

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Do No Wrong was a non-runner at Uttoxeter which was a shame, which left Katey Kontent being the only runner of the day. I'm a big fan of Rossa Ryan but he got it wrong. He was on the best horse in the race but she got no run at all, blocked at a crucial point. Hopefully, she doesn't go up in the handicap for that as she'll have her day in the sun soon.

Yarmouth 3:45 – Al Asifah (was 6/4 when writing, now odds-on, probably best to leave her alone at those prices unless she drifts out again)

It's probably an easier decision to leave Al Asifah alone at the odds, especially on the back of her most recent run from Royal Ascot, but this doesn't appear to be a strong race and I believe that if she bounces to back to form, she'll be far too good for this field.

She was 2/2 when entering Royal Ascot. She was fancied to run well, she went off ridiculously short in the market (5/6F) and she ran way below what was expected. She has been given a break since that day and I think that was the correct decision. She might've had something wrong with her at Ascot, but it wasn't a true showing, that's for sure. It's interesting that the Gosden's have decided to drop her back to 10f from 12f, she was very impressive on her first starts over 10f, especially the Salisbury race, which has produced a decent level of form since. Sumo Sam was in that race, granted she was running over a trip far too short, but she has gone on to win two Group 2s over 14f.

Being by Frankel, you'd like to think that the soft ground that she'll encounter today is going to be perfectly fine for her. Frankel has produced plenty of soft ground lovers, and I'd go as far to say that he is getting a tag as a Sire that his horses prefer slower ground.

She is short enough in the market, but definitely at a price which you can happily have a bet on her. If she does return to form, she'll win, as I don't think the others in this race are as naturally gifted as Al Asifah.

Sandown 3:40 – Knight 3/1 (2pt Bet365)

I was trying to avoid going with Knight as I thought his profile was a bit iffy, but the more I looked into I think he is the one to beat and could be extremely tough to beat.

Knight is much better on the testing ground, that's a certainty. Sandown is soft and is expecting a bit of rain to fall, so the ground will be perfect for him. His recent form is up there with the best in this race, and I think if he repeats the run of last time out when finishing 2nd to Angel Bleu, he will be very tough to beat.

He has had a tendency of not running his race every time, which is my only concern for this horse, however, I think he has been getting better with each run this year, so it must be a fitness thing with him. Sandown offers a different set of questions to Goodwood where he has run the last two times, but his running style would suggest the stiff finish is going to be fine for him. He wasn't stopping at the line at Goodwood last time out, he was beaten by a horse who was staying on stronger than he was, but that isn't to mean he wasn't staying on. I don't think this race is as strong as what it might look to be on paper, as many of them will not enjoy the conditions. A couple of horses who I thought would be the likely dangers is Novus and Raadabarg, who both clearly enjoy juice in the ground.

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