SONG Of The Clyde looks over-priced for this afternoon’s Group 3 Hallgarten And Novum Wines Hackwood Stakes at Newbury.

Clive Cox’s horse has plenty in his favour. He is a progressive young sprinter who does not have much to find on official ratings, and who could be set for another step forward now.

He was progressive last year as a juvenile. He won his maiden at Chester at the end of June, before coming on to this meeting last year and keeping on well to take second place in the novice stakes behind Egoli, who made all and who had been impressive in winning his maiden at York.

Song Of The Clyde stepped forward when he won the Harry’s Half Million at York’s Ebor meeting, and he stepped forward again when he finished second in another valuable sales race at Doncaster’s St Leger meeting.

He raced on the front end that day from stall 20 on the near side. Four horses broke away from the main body of the field on the run inside the final furlong, the other three were from single-figure draws, and he only just gave best to Calendar Girl close home.

That race worked out well afterwards. The winner won the Group 3 Oh So Sharp Stakes on her next run, while fourth-placed Brussels finished second in the Middle Park Stakes and in the Cornwallis Stakes, before rounding off his season by finishing second again in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf.

The Sergei Prokofiev colt could only finish fourth in a Class 2 handicap at Newmarket’s Craven meeting on his return this season, racing off a mark of 100, but he showed a lot of pace that day, he looked a likely winner when he hit the front on the near side on the run to the furlong marker, before he weakened on the run back up the hill, as lack of a recent run probably told.

He showed the benefit of that run next time though in the Listed Carnarvon Stakes at Newbury, over today’s course and distance.

He led from flagfall that day, leading a group of three who raced towards the near side, and he found plenty when Hector Crouch asked him. He got home by a neck in the end from Albert Einstein, with the pair of them nicely clear of their rivals.

He was only seventh in the Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot on his only run since then, but that is obviously a Group 1, and it was a good performance in the circumstances. He raced prominently on the far side through the early part of a race in which three of the first four home came from mid-division or worse.

He should appreciate the drop back down in grade today, and the return to Newbury.

He is the only three-year-old in a race in which three-year-olds have prevailed in two of the last five years. There was just one three-year-old in the race last year.

Moreover, there were just three in it the year before, and they finished first, second and third.

Finally, Middleham Park Racing’s colt is the only real obvious pace angle into the race. He could get an easy time of it up front. It may be that Rossa Ryan will be allowed to dictate his own fractions and, if he is, Song Of The Clyde might be difficult to catch.

Aphrodite Stakes

K Sarra will have to bounce back from a moderate run in the Oaks last time if she is going to be involved in the Listed Ric And Mary Hambro Aphrodite Stakes at Newmarket three minutes later, but there are reasons for believing that she can.

For starters, it was the Oaks, at Epsom, with all its undulations and all its razzamatazz. You can always allow a horse an uncharacteristically poor run at Epsom on Derby weekend, especially a relatively inexperienced one.

Also, she was encountering easy ground for the first time, and it was just her fourth run.

Ralph Beckett’s filly is better judged on her previous third behind Legacy Link and Felicitas in the Musidora Stakes at York. Settled back in the field early that day by Rossa Ryan, she came under a ride early in the home straight when they quickened from the front.

She found plenty for pressure though. Still only fifth inside the two-furlong marker, she stayed on well into third place by the time they got to the furlong pole and she kept on well through the final 200 yards, closing all the way to the line.

She was just over a length behind Legacy Link, closest at the finish, with the first three finishing well clear of their rivals, and Legacy Link obviously enhanced the form when she finished second behind Thundering On in the Oaks.

K Sarra left the strong impression that day that she would do even better when she steps up to a mile and a half, and that hypothesis is backed up by her pedigree. She is a full-sister to Pride Of Arras, winner of the Great Voltigeur Stakes last year, and she is a half-sister to Sweet Fantasy, a dual winner over hurdles.

Three-year-olds have won this race seven times in the last 10 years, so K Sarra has a nice profile for the race.

Recommended:

Song Of The Clyde, 3.02 Newbury, 5/1 (generally), 1 point win,

K Sarra, 3.05 Newmarket, 9/2 (generally), 1 point win