LORD North won the Bet365 Cambridgeshire last year. He won it easily, racing off a mark of 98, 25lb lower than his current rating, a Brigadier Gerard Stakes and a Prince of Wales’s Stakes later.

You never know for sure, but it is unlikely that there is a Lord North or a Halling-type character lurking in the line-up for today’s race.

Even so, it is still a high-class renewal. Sinjaari was impressive in winning the John Smith’s Cup last time, for example. He hasn’t run since, and you can easily argue that he won that day with more in hand than the 8lb hike with which he was rewarded.

Ilaraab won well at Newbury last Saturday and he is 1lb well-in under a 4lb penalty, and Sir Busker was second in the Group 2 Celebration Mile last time and could be up to carrying his welter burden, especially if the rains come.

Royal Hunt Cup runner-up Montatham should be better-suited by the strong pace that he should get today than he was by the moderate pace last time in a listed race at Sandown, while Tempus is progressive and is 3lb well-in under a 4lb penalty for his win at Ascot three weeks ago. You can see why Khalid Abdullah’s colt is favourite.

However, it may be that the same owner’s Derevo represents better value. Winner of handicaps off marks of 83 and 91 last season, Sir Michael Stoute’s horse has been nicely progressive this season.

Third to Fifth Position in a handicap at Doncaster on his debut this term, he ran better than the bare form of the run suggests in a good 10-furlong handicap at Glorious Goodwood.

Drawn in stall 18 that day, he had to do a lot of running early on to adopt a relatively prominent position, but he still couldn’t go with Maydanny, who made all from stall one, and he was just run out of third place late on by Bell Rock, whom he meets on 1lb better terms today.

He didn’t have a lot of luck in-running next time at York, when the ground was probably softer than ideal anyway, but he bounced back last time at Doncaster, when he finished second to Strait Of Hormuz. He travelled really well through his race that day, and he showed an impressive turn of foot before getting run down close home by Jedd O’Keeffe’s horse.

The handicapper raised him by 3lb for that run, but he gets to race today off his old mark of 95, so he is 3lb well-in.

More than that though, he is a four-year-old who has raced just 10 times in his life, and he put up a career-best performance last time, so he has the potential to go higher now for a trainer who knows how to take these four- and five-year-olds through the stages.

Sir Michael Stoute’s horses continue to be in top form, and Ryan Moore rides him again. A fast-run nine furlongs should suit him well, and that turn of foot that he showed at Doncaster last time could be a potent weapon today.

Cheveley Park

The juveniles’ races are intriguing. Miss Amulet was really progressive over five furlongs through the early part of the season, but she put up a career-best performance when she stepped up to six furlongs for the first time last time and won the Lowther Stakes.

She had to see out the sixth furlong that day, because Sacred came at her at the furlong marker, and looked set to go on and beat her, but Ken Condon’s filly battled back gamely and went on to win by a length.

She had won her maiden by five lengths at Cork, and she proved her toughness in the Listed Marwell Stakes at Naas in August, when she had to engineer racing room before going on to beat the talented Frenetic, with subsequent Flying Childers third Measure Of Magic back in third.

She is probably going to have to step forward again today if she is going to beat Albany Stakes and Duchess of Cambridge Stakes winner Dandalla, unbeaten in three runs. And Happy Romance won two valuable sales races before the Group 3 Dick Poole Stakes at Salisbury last time, and Sacred is back to try to avenge her Lowther Stakes defeat, after going down by just a short-head in the Flying Childers in the interim.

It looks like a really good renewal of the Cheveley Park, but, racing in Mrs Doreen Tabor’s colours for the first time, Miss Amulet could provide Ken Condon with another big win this season.

And Lucky Vega could provide Jessica Harrington with another big win too in the Middle Park Stakes. The Lope De Vega colt only finished fifth in the end in the Goffs Vincent O’Brien National Stakes last time, but you can easily allow him that, as he was badly hampered on the run to the furlong marker.

He would have had to have been very good if he was going to beat Thunder Moon that day, but he didn’t get a chance, so you can just put a line through that run.

Second in the Railway Stakes in July after an interrupted preparation, he is better judged on the performance that he put up in winning the Phoenix Stakes next time. He showed an impressive turn of foot that day for Shane Foley, and he left the impression that he had even more in hand than the three-and-a-half-length winning margin.

A half-brother to Lady Clair, whose three wins were gained over five and five and a half furlongs, it may be that today’s six-furlong trip is his optimum trip, at least for now and, in another fascinating juveniles’ contest, he could out-run his odds.

Recommended

Miss Amulet 2.25 Newmarket, 1 point win, 100/30 (generally)

Lucky Vega 3.00 Newmarket, 1 point win, 4/1 (generally)

Derevo 3.35 Newmarket, 1 point win, 10/1 (Bet365, BoyleSports) or 9/1 (generally)

Winners

Donn’s last two headline tips both won. Galileo Chrome (advised at 6/1) in the St Leger and Nahaarr (advised at 15/2) in the Ayr Gold Cup