Racing tips: Random Harvest is the clear form pick in the Longines Valiant Stakes

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Gaassee travelled through his race like a menace, but when he hit the front he didn't find much. Maybe the weight was too much for him? I'm not sure. The other selection on the day was given no chance, she was extremely keen, Tudhope didn't even try and get her cover (shock) and she was knackered when they were turning for home, clearly not a true showing.

Gowran Park 2:30 – Goldana 9/2 (2pt bet365)

I had a couple of selections at the Curragh on the weekend just gone but the meeting was cancelled to the waterlogged track, I changed my mind on one of those races when I tipped Zarinsk the other day, but I'm sticking to my guns with Goldana with this race.

She is carrying a big weight against the younger more unexposed types, but their form doesn't concern me. She is carrying a penalty as well as conceding weight to the 3yos, but I don't think the 3yos are particularly strong. She is a horse who has been crying out for soft ground since winning on soft ground at the Curragh over 7f, but she hasn't got it and has run well in some good races on good ground, not being disgraced in the slightest. She was trained in Germany before moving to Joseph's yard and she was best on ground with juice in it, which is what she'll get today. She is proven over the trip as she won a 1m 1f race in Germany, and she looked like she needed further when landing the Group 3 in mid-April as she did the best of her work late in that race and was pulling away at the finish.

Ascot 1:15 – Timebar 20/1 (0.5pt EW)

Backing unraced horses is always a gamble unless you know some insider information from the stable staff etc, but when a trainer has dominated a certain race over the years I think you can trust when he comes to the same with just one horse.

Richard Hannon Snr had a good record in this race, and his son has won six of the last eight renewals, with him having the second in this race last year with a 12/1 shot. Richard sends Timebar as his only runner in this year's renewal and that is good enough for me as he must be showing a decent level of form on the gallops for him to be sent here in a race he clearly targets with some smart juveniles. Richard won this race with Mums Tipple and Ehraz to name a couple who turned out to be a good level of racehorse.

Timebar has a decent pedigree being by Time Test and out of a mare who has produced three black-type horses, all being trained by Richard Hannon.

Ascot 2:25 – Random Harvest 7/2 (2pt)

This race doesn't look strong at all, you have some interesting runners like the Murtagh horse and the Joseph O'Brien horse who are both 3yos with improving profiles and the Varian horse who hasn't been seen since running well in 2yo races, and is now a 4yo. But the one who clearly has the solid form credentials to be winning a race of this nature is Random Harvest.

I'd be very disappointed if Random Harvest wasn't going close and finishing in the top 2 at the very minimum. Ameynah would probably be the biggest danger if she is fit and ready after such a long time off the track, but as for the others, their form doesn't even come close to what Random Harvest has been running at this season. I think you've got to ignore her most recent start, that seemed far too bad to be true, but going off the two runner-up finishes, she's surely the one to beat.

She was 2nd to Prosperous Voyage on ground which is probably too quick for her, she then finished 2nd at Royal Ascot to Rogue Millenium who shocked many that day but did have the form in the book to do something like that. She is rated 108 now and you can't argue with that as she produced RPRs of 108 and 112 before her final start and I can't see a filly in this race who'd have pushed those two fillies as close as she did.

Ascot 3:40 – King Of Steel 9/2 (1pt)

The big boy race of the day comes at Ascot in the 3:40, and this is the King George VI Stakes which is probably the race of the season so far. All the horses you'd want turning up are turning up and you can make a case for so many of them, but only one can win.

I think the older horses are often overlooked too much, and Pyledriver is at the top of that list. He continues to be overlooked like he has his whole career but he is such a top-class racehorse and he'll have many punters backing him, but I think the weight the 4yos will have to give away to the younger horses could be a bit too much. The obvious 3yo to go for would be Auguste Rodin, he won the Epsom and Irish Derby this season, but I'm going for the slightly more lightly raced old foe of his, King Of Steel.

If you've seen this lad run, you'd notice what a specimen he is. He is a huge horse, which normally takes a while for them to reach their ceiling, so to see him finish 2nd at huge odds in the Derby and then run out an easy winner at Ascot the time after is hugely promising. Kevin Stott thought he went too early in the Derby, and if that did play a part in why he didn't win, then he could've been a Derby winner and would probably be the favourite today. Due to him being such a big horse, I refuse to believe that Epsom played to his strengths, it's a muddling track and does tend to suit the better movers and more nimble types and looking at his frame I think Ascot will be much better suited to him. He seems to handle any type of ground, but I think the current ground will be better than the fast ground he raced on at Epsom, and I just think there's more to come. He obviously has to reverse the form with AR, but I think it is possible.

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