NEWMARKET SATURDAY

3:25 bet365 MILE (1M)

Manson couldn’t get involved in the Britannia at Royal Ascot last time, but he’s bred to want a sound surface, and may have found underfoot conditions an issue there. There is absolutely nothing wrong with his previous mauling of a competitive field at Sandown, however, and he’s best judged on that effort for the time being. That form has worked out very well, with the second and fourth, White Poppy and Defrocked, subsequently successful in handicaps at Salisbury and Doncaster, and those races, in turn, have thrown up winners. Manson is a beautifully bred half-brother to last year’s Irish Derby winner Jack Hobbs, among others, and he appeals as the sort to continue to pay his way despite his latest reverse.

Von Blucher may vie for favouritism, but he’s been a beaten favourite in three of his last four starts, and I’m not sure he’s got much stomach for a battle, unlike his namesake.

4:35 DARLEY JULY CUP (GROUP 1) (6F)

There’s no denying how competitive the six-furlong division is at present, with nary a pound between the top four of five performers on the scene, but it would be folly to think this is a great crop of sprinters, and the gap between the pick of the crop and the leading handicappers is narrower than ever. It’s possible that the key horse on this race is Arod, and although he’s a rank outsider, it’s hard to rule him out now dropping back from a mile, and he definitely gives the impression that he’d be at least as effective at seven furlongs given his aggressive style.

Of course, it’s not a given that he’ll be able to lead specialist sprinters at this distance, but there aren’t many who want to blaze a trail, and given his proven stamina, it can be expected that he’ll be asked to go forward. If he can lead the high numbers, then that might give the far-side group a tactical advantage in the race, and while the most obvious beneficiary is Limato, I’m inclined to side with the progressive Don’t Touch at a bigger price. Richard Fahey’s four-year-old gelding is unbeaten away from genuinely soft ground, and proved better than ever when beating Danzeno at Salisbury last month. The son of Dutch Art is a hugely likeable sort, whose last-furlong burst to win Ripon’s Great St Wilfrid last August suggested he was right out of the top drawer. He only has a few pounds to find with the best of his rivals here, and it would be a brave man who suggested he hasn’t got a bit more in his locker after just eight lifetime starts.

ASCOT SATURDAY

2:45 totescoop6 HERITAGE HANDICAP (5F)

Royal Birth has been a frustrating horse to follow on turf this season, and his latest win at Chelmsford suggests that he is simply better on the all-weather, but if he is going to make the breakthrough on this surface it will be at this venue, which not only has a reputation as a happy hunting ground for polytrack performers, but will suit Royal Birth’s running style better than York or Musselburgh. Stuart Williams’ sprinter can be slow to break, and those tracks that put an onus on early speed don’t suit, whereas Ascot is much more in favour of finishers at sprint trips where short runners tend to be found out by the stiff finish.

The ground is set to ride fast, which is also a necessity for the son of Exceed And Excel. His beating of Bowson Fred at Chelmsford show that he’s a pattern horse on polytrack, and I’ve not given up on his prospects of performing to the same level on turf, which makes him irresistable from a mark of 92.

4:25 PLAYBOY CLUB LONDON HANDICAP (1M2F)

Another well-handicapped runner at Ascot’s card is Gershwin, for whom no excuses are needed, and he looks set to win this handicap before making the leap to group-race success. It’s intriguing that David Lanigan has this well-bred colt entered in no fewer than three upcoming Group 1 events, as well as the Great Voltigeur at Doncaster, and while he could be construed as a possible pacemaker for stablemate Almodovar in the King George given his rating, that doesn’t stack up in terms of his run style or progressive profile.

He comes here on the back of an impressive win at Leicester over Banksea and Grapevine, both of whom won handicaps easily next time. Gershwin was in no way flattered at Leicester, either, as he had to come from behind in a race run at a steady tempo, marking him up as much better than the bare form if anything. I’m normally wary of horses who have been raised double digits by the handicapper, but in his case the 10lb he’s gone up could easily have been twice as much, and he’s a very confident choice to show himself a top-notcher in the making.

YORK SATURDAY

3:40 JOHN SMITH’S SILVER CUP STAKES (LISTED) (1M6F)

Rain would be a worry given his only poor run last season came on dead ground here, but otherwise there is a lot to like about Curbyourenthusiasm, who continues to improve as his stamina is drawn out, and he won’t need to improve on his latest course-and-distance second to Clever Cookie in the Yorkshire Cup in order to win this.