FRIENDLY Soul looks sure to win a big prize in the second half of the season after her luckless third in the Duke Of Cambridge Stakes at Royal Ascot on Wednesday, writes Andy Stephens.

The John and Thady Gosden-trained mare didn’t get the rub of the green, being shuffled back to last of the 15 runners early on. That was compounded when she found more trouble on the rail, about a furlong and a half from home.

In the circumstances, she performed wonders to make the frame and be beaten only two and a quarter lengths behind Blue Bolt. Friendly Soul was quickest through the fifth furlong (12.47sec) and sixth furlong (11.79sec) plus easily best in the final furlong (12.37sec).

The daughter of Kingman might have been swiftest through the seventh furlong, too, had she not suffered more interference, but instead the winner grabbed a vital 0.36 seconds off her.

To put that into context, there was 0.43 seconds between them at the line.

Do not discount Friendly Soul turning the tables on the winner should they meet again in the Tattersalls Falmouth Stakes at Newmarket on July 10th. She is as big as 16/1 for that Group 1 contest, yet Blue Bolt is 5/1 in places.

The main protagonists in the Copper Horse Stakes, run 24 hours earlier, are worth following as that race got a Time Index of 8.1 and was run 2.32 seconds quicker than the Race iQ Par.

In particular, make a note of Paddy The Squire as he kept on for third after being only eighth a furlong from home. His final furlong of 12.26 seconds was quickest of the whole field, and I’d imagine the Sky Bet Ebor on August 22 will now be on his agenda.