Rosa Inglesa just managed to get up on the line at Ascot.
I was not confident that she was going to get ahead and stay ahead at the right time, but Kaiya Fraser delivered her right on time.
Chester is a tough track to ride, but Jack Doughty gave Witness Stand one of the worst rides you could ever see. The horse didn't break well, which was not ideal for a horse who likes to front run. However, the jockey decided to have the horse four wide all race, and even wider when turning for home. Shocking.
Just An Hour ran a good race, and a much better race than I expected after he came under the pump much earlier than the others who surrounded him. Finished fourth, but I'd be inclined to backing him again.
True Love 13/8 (3pt) – Deauville 3.25
I think you could argue that the price for True Love is a generous one, which isn't something I'd normally say about a 13/8 shot, but this game is all about value.
I had this race between the top two in the market, but thought True Love was the clear and obvious choice. I'm happy that Rayif has turned up for this race, as without her, True Love would have been a 4/6 shot.
In my opinion, True Love's form is a decent chunk ahead of Rayif. True Love won the English 1000 Guineas, whereas Rayif won the French equivalent. When you look at the horses Rayif has beaten, it's not comparable to the ones that True Love has. To add to that, she was closely behind Precise on another two Group 1 runs. Precise didn't win on Friday, but she a multiple Group 1 winner and arguably the best three-year-old filly over a mile in the UK and Ireland.
Also, True Love looks like a horse who could be better over seven furlongs. She was a good sprinter last year, but she has the quality to stay a mile. I think this could be her ideal trip, and I'm confident she'll win this.
Wasdell Dundalk 7/1 (0.5pt EW, 3pl) – Perth 3.51
Despite being an ageing jumps horse, whenever Wasdell Dundalk turns up at Perth, he has to be respected.
He hasn't got as many course wins as Staturio, but he runs his best race at this track, and his run last time out was a return to form. He ran over 2m 4f ten days ago, but he has always been much better over three miles, so the return to this trip is a positive.
7/1 seems quite an insulting price on a horse who has won at this venue four times, and I can definitely see him going off at 5/1 or slightly shorter.
His handicap mark is 7lbs below his last winning mark, which came back in October 2024, so he is massively overdue a win.
GambleAware