The Juddmonte Royal Lodge Stakes gets proceedings underway at the Headquarters of racing in the 1.55, with the French 1000 Guineas winner Beauty Parlour, making her debut for Henry Cecil. A big race is required for the ex-French starlet to book her spot in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes. Mark Johnston’s Steeler steps up to a mile for the first time in his career and his running style has suggested 7f is his minimum distance with his dam, Discreet Brief also having stamina in her pedigree. It’s a hot contest of classy juveniles, with Fantastic Moon an interesting opponent but Steeler is the selection.
The Cambridgeshire runs at 3.40 and Columbo would do well to solve the winner in this huge field of 35 runners. All ten of the last triumphant horses had previously won over a mile plus and that’s the starting clue for this race over 9 furlongs. Discarding horses aged seven or older is stage two as no horse from forty-one runners has won aged seven plus since 2002. The Cambridgeshire ultimately falls to an improving horse still on the upgrade, with many winners masquerading as Group horses in a handicap.
My two upwardly mobile selections against the field are Kings Warrior and Chil The Kite. Kings Warrior ran with re-invigorated verve when shredding the field in the John Smith’s Cup at York in July at huge odds. Although he has went up 10lb for that success there could be more to come and granted some cut in the ground he can run a big race. Chil The Kite was in good form during this summer with back-to-back wins and he also ran well in the Class 1 Betfred Mile last time out at the start of the month. It was noticeable that Hughie Morrison’s three-year-old colt was running on all too late in that contest and stepped up an extra furlong he should be doing his best work at the business end of the race on Saturday.]]>