Ascot Saturday

2.30 Chesham Stakes (Listed) 7f

Treanmor is favourite here, but while the €2,000,000 yearling won well at Newmarket on debut, the form of that race has taken a few knocks, with runner-up Vlad beaten at short odds twice since, most recently when 2/9 for a weak novice at Lingfield. The other pair to have raced since that Newmarket contest have beaten just one rival between them, so while the form was lauded as strong at the time, that is not backed up by subsequent results or a decidedly modest timefigure.

I’d much prefer Moments Of Joy of the market leaders, with that filly prepping in the same Leopardstown maiden that last year’s winner Bedtime Story did. She was beaten there but looks sure to improve markedly and should head the market here.

That said, there is a potential each-way angle here with Fozzy Stack’s colt Thesecretadversary overpriced on the basis of a very promising second to Italy at Leopardstown over this trip and he looks sure to improve for that introduction. That is, in fact, arguably the strongest piece of form in the race and yet the son of St Mark’s Basilica is available to back at 12/1. Drawn wider than the three ahead of him in the betting, he looks a solid each-way bet.

3.05 Hardwicke Stakes (Group 2 1m 3f 211y)

Rebel’s Romance is the one to beat in a substandard renewal of the Hardwicke Stakes and he will appreciate the return to a mile and a half after winning a Yorkshire Cup that didn’t really test his stamina last time. His draw is fine, and he will give backers a run for their money, so I’ll have a small interest, but I do like the each-way shape of this race and think it should pay to forgive Bellum Justum a moderate run on ground he hated at Epsom.

The key to Bellum Justum is the ground, and the faster it is, the better his chance, and he ran his best race when just edged out in the Gordon Stakes at Goodwood last year by Jan Brueghel before winning the Nashville Derby on firm turf at Kentucky Downs. The going was good when he beat Silver Knott at Newmarket in the Jockey Club Stakes last month. His disappointing effort at Epsom makes him a backable price and the return to a sound surface gives him a fine chance of making the frame here.

3.40 Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes (Group 1) 6f

Inisherin was reported to be in need of the run when lining up for the Duke of York Stakes last month and overcame a lack of fitness (had a proper blow after the race) to win well. He relishes the conditions he meets here having won the Commonwealth Cup a year ago and looks up to beating the best in the division on the prevailing quick ground.

Lazzat may need a little further (won the six-and-a-half-furlong Prix Maurice de Gheest last term before tackling a mile), but is an obvious danger having bolted up on his return at Chantilly, for all this will probably be the fastest ground he’s raced on.

4.20 Jersey Stakes (Group 3) 7f

Marvelman is a progressive sort who looks ideally suited by seven furlongs, and the form of his latest second to Cosmic Year in the King Charles II Stakes at Newmarket looks all the better with the winner finishing second to Field Of Gold in the Irish 2000 Guineas, and the third winning a listed race next time.

Marvelman had previously won at Kempton in a smart time for this trip and is reported to have thrived since by trainer Andrew Balding. On a line through Cosmic Year he has the beating of Irish Guineas fifth Comanche Brave and there look to be no superstars lurking in this field.

5.00 Wokingham Stakes

(Heritage Handicap) 6f

The Owen Burrows-trained Jarraaf was a little disappointing on his reappearance at Salisbury, but wasn’t beaten far and that run would have helped put an edge on him, while preserving his mark for this heritage handicap.

The unexposed four-year-old has the scope to progress further and he has saved most of his best efforts for Ascot, winning back-to-back handicaps over course and distance last summer before a career-best third in the Group 2 Bentinck Stakes in the autumn. A repeat of that might well be enough to defy his current mark back in a handicap, but I’d be fairly confident that Jarraaf can progress again, and he makes plenty of appeal at a price that is available in several spots.

5.35 Golden Gates Stakes (Handicap) 1m 1f 212y

The key to this might be the valuable London Gold Cup at Newbury, form that’s typically worked out well and in which Ernst Blofeld finished a place behind Quai De Bethune in fourth. Both will progress again, but the fitting of cheekpieces is not a profitable angle for the Gosden stable, which tempers confidence in Ernst Blofeld.

Preference is for Quai De Bethune, who is quietly progressive, nicely drawn in stall 14 and comes from a yard among the Ascot winners this week. The selection ran well at Newbury despite getting warm in the preliminaries and it would therefore be no great concern if he sweated up again.

Recommended

Thesecretadversary 2.30 Ascot - 1pt e/w 12/1 (general)

Bellum Justum 3.05 Ascot - 1pt e/w 28/1 (Ladbrokes/Coral)

Inisherin 3.40 Ascot - 2pts win 9/2 (Bet365, 4/1 general)

Marvelman 4.20 Ascot - 1pt win 11/2 (Bet365, 5/1 general)

Jarraaf 5.00 Ascot - 1.5pts e/w 8/1 (Bet365, 15/2 Coral, BetFred - 6 places)