It was a painful viewing for both of Friday's runners at Ascot, as they were both inconvenienced in their running.
Princling was the one who definitely got away, and if he got a clear run, there's no doubt in my mind that he would have won. He was travelling as he had plenty left to give under Tom Marquand, but he was on the rail and had nowhere to go until very late; by that time there wasn't enough time or ground.
Pilu was unlucky in the way he got sandwiched between two horses. He was never going to win, but the way he kept going on at the finish suggests that he could have been placed inside the top five. It was a very messy race, but that happens in big-field races.
Wimbledon Hawkeye 2/1 – Longchamp 12.58
I backed Phineas on his penultimate run, so I know how good he is, and he has since followed up with an easier success. He is the one who could be a superstar, but he hasn't been tested against tough opposition this season, so he isn't bulletproof. Wimbledon Hawkeye was the one who caught my attention, and he has improved since moving to George Scott.
James Owen is a great trainer, but sometimes a move to a new stable can bring out the small margins, and that is what has happened with Wimbledon Hawkeye. He was previously a very solid horse, but he now looks like a Group 1 performer.
He was third in a Group 1 in Germany. At the time, people wouldn't have had a strong opinion on that race, but the winner won a Group 1 on Irish Champions weekend, and Wimbledon Hawkeye was second in that race, losing by a nose. In terms of form, that has to be the best piece of form to follow.
Fallen Angel 7/2 – Longchamp 4.35
We know that Quddwah is a very solid horse, and he was second in this race last year, so he will be primed for a big effort. However, he is getting short in the market, and Fallen Angel has already proven that she is a Group 1 horse when she is firing, and 7/2 is very appealing.
Fallen Angel isn't exactly the most consistent Group 1 level horse, but this can happen with fillies/mares. She hasn't been over-raced this year, and her performance in a Group 1 last time out was her best run this year, finishing third behind Blue Bolt. They could have gone for the Group 1 at Newmarket today; instead they've opted for this, as they see it as an easier target.
Apart from the favourite and Ridari (last year's winner), the rest of the field don't look great. If the real Fallen Angel turns up, she has to be in contention, especially with the mares' allowance she receives from all the males.
GambleAware