I'm not sure what happened at Thirsk, but the two races prior to the final race of the meeting were called off. That left us with just one runner on Friday.
I really do rate Harry Davies as a young jockey, and I think he'll get to the top, but he gave Something Splendid a stinker of a ride.
He got Something Splendid blocked on two occasions, and the horse narrowly lost by a nose. He was put up as an each-way selection, so it's not the end of the world, but a 7/1 winner would've been much nicer.
Cathedral 11/2 (1pt) – Sandown 2.25
I was interested in two horses in this race. Blue Point was one of them, but she is the favourite and probably doesn't deserve to be. I think she has a solid chance, as she is a very easy-going horse who tries her hardest, plus she has course form.
The other horse, and my selection for the race, is Cathedral. This horse has been a tip on the page twice this season already, losing on both occasions. Hopefully, it's third time the charm.
Cathedral arguably has the best form in this race, based on the fourth-placed finish at Royal Ascot in the Group 1. She then went to France and was given a hopeless ride by David Egan, who clearly didn't do his research. He has Cathedral held up in last place in a small field. That's never the place to be when running in France, as more often than not they don't go a gallop, and that makes it difficult to come from off the pace. On that basis, I am going to give her another chance, and this time, David Egan won't make a mess of the tactics.
She should be fine on the slower ground, and the stiff track should be fine based on how well she ran at Ascot.
Pacific Avenue 6/5 (2pt) – Sandown 3.35
This race has been dominated by the Gosden and Appleby yard in the last ten years, with the pair of trainers having six winners. It's obviously a race which both like to have some of their better two-year-olds run in. The John and Thady Gosden horse is the short odds-on horse, but I thought that ridiculously short and Pacific Avenue was a worthy opponent.
Publish was runner-up on his debut, but managed to win on his second attempt at very short odds. He didn't improve from first to second run according to RPRs, but I don't think you can look into that too much. Given the record of this race and the names that the Gosden yard has put in it in the past (Too Darn Hot, Kingman, etc.) Publish has to be a very serious operator. However, Pacific Avenue won a competitive race at Newmarket, beating his odds-on stablemate to cause a surprise.
The form of the race looks interesting. The stablemate runner-up has since finished third to another Godolphin horse, Saba Desert, who looks like a nice horse.
The pedigree of Pacific Avenue gives encouragement that today's slower ground will be fine for him. He is a full brother to Highland Avenue, who had his best RPR on soft ground.
Balmoral Lady 11/2 (1pt) – Deauville 6.02
The French horses will feel confident coming into this race as they have some decent form, but I still think an English raider will prevail.
I tipped up Rosy Affair last time out in a Pontefract Listed race, but I am going against her this time. I don't think the race she won last time out was very strong, so even though she won well, I have to jump ship. The other runner from the UK is Balmoral Lady, and she has to bounce back to form if she were to win this.
Christophe Soumillon is booked, and I think the thunderstorms which are expected to come in time will make this into a test that Balmoral Lady will relish. She has won on heavy ground multiple times, so the soft ground is something she needs. Her form this year hasn't been terrible as she has been pitched into some good races, and I think this is her easiest assignment of the year, apart from her first run at Chester.
She improved massively last year, going from an 84 rated handicapper to finishing 2nd in a Listed race off the same mark. She beat No Half Measures at Haydock; that horse is now a Group 1 winner. She ran okay in the Group 1 at Royal Ascot, but she looks in need of today's extra furlong. Last time out was not a true showing, so I think you can give her another chance.
GambleAware