1.15 Modern Games Darley Stakes (Group 3) 1m 1f

Humidity hasn’t been seen since splitting Bow Echo and Action in the Royal Lodge Stakes here just over a year ago, but the very fact that Andrew Balding is prepared to pitch him back in at this level so late in the season suggests he’s ready to go, while James Doyle presumably had the choice between him and recent Stateside winner Haatem, so the signs are positive, and it bears repeating how well the Royal Lodge has worked out.

This race has been won by three-year-olds for four of the last five years and the son of Ulysses is the only one of his generation represented here. A mile and a furlong should suit him well and he’s taken to make light of his absence.

1.50 Native Trail Zetland Stakes (Group 3) 1m 2f

Wykehurst Park has something to find, strictly on the book, but I was impressed with the way in which he won over a mile and one furlong at Yarmouth on his second start and he promises to progress further as his stamina is drawn out, given he’s a son of Stradivarius.

Wykehurst Park was short of room when travelling well at Yarmouth but quickened readily when switched by Oisin Murphy and appeared to win with something up his sleeve. The runner-up is also a promising sort for next year and the form looks to have a bit more depth than appeared at first glance. On a line through Sydney Carton, he has a similar chance to Netherstream, who beat that colt at Newmarket, but Wykehurst Park looks to have more scope than Jane Chapple-Hyam’s charge and is expected to run a big race despite the jump in class.

2.25 Emirates Autumn Stakes (Group 3) 1m

Rock Montreal is an impressive physical specimen and he looks to have the talent to go with those looks, with a step up to a mile likely to bring further progress. He hit the line hard and would have won in a couple more strides when just touched off in the seven-furlong Flying Scotsman Stakes at Doncaster last month and looks to be crying out for this extra distance. The bare form gives him every chance but it’s the prospect of improvement at this trip that makes him look a good bet to beat Sergei Diaghilev, who was second over the same seven furlongs at Doncaster when no match for Desert Castle in the Champagne Stakes.

While Sergei Diaghilev will also benefit from the return to a mile, having won over that trip at Gowran Park prior to his defeat at Doncaster, he looks to have established his merit and I doubt we’ve seen anywhere near the best of Rock Montreal, who will be having just his third run having made his debut as recently as August.

3.00 Darley Dewhurst Stakes (Group 1) 7f

Should Serge Diaghilev win the Autumn Stakes, he would be paying a handsome compliment to Desert Castle, who made him look positively pedestrian when cruising to victory in the Champagne Stakes last month. He’s another who only saw a racecourse for the first time when winning at Newmarket in August and he should continue to progress for a while. Given the impression he made at Doncaster, further progress would put him firmly in the picture for classic honours next season and the son of Frankel could be something very special. I find it difficult to envisage defeat here, for all he meets a Group 1 winner in Darkness Falls.

Darkness Falls, to give him full credit, also looked a colt of huge potential when winning the Golden Fleece Stakes at Leopardstown, but that win over a mile and one furlong screamed Derby to me, whereas Desert Castle looks a strong 2000 Guineas contender and will surely be the better suited of the pair to a wind-assisted seven furlongs at Newmarket.

3.40 Club Godolphin

Cesarewitch Handicap 2m 2f

I think James Owen holds the key to the Cesarewitch and he has four realistic contenders, who all look to have been campaigned with one eye on this contest. The pick for me is Naval Tribute, who has progressed through the handicapping ranks and may still have more to offer given the form of his wins has been working out well on the whole. He appreciated the step up to two miles for the first time when winning at Newbury in June and that form looks much better now, with three of the next five home winning handicaps subsequently.

Given a break after Newbury, Naval Tribute took his form up another notch when winning well at Kempton last time, form that began to take a solid look when the trio who chased him home all made the frame in handicaps next time. Naval Tribute was conceding lumps of weight at Kempton and was again strongest at the finish, making that effort more meritorious.

He’s upped markedly in class here, but while the Cesarewitch occasionally goes to the class horses, the race has often been dominated by those further down the weights, and the majority of recent winners have carried less than nine stone. Unexposed as a stayer, and with an extra couple of furlongs likely to suit, Naval Tribute is preferred to stablemate High Fibre and midweek gamble Kirchner of the Owen runners. That trio are all drawn in single figures and that may prove advantageous with the ground still riding quick enough on Friday.

1.30 Sky Bet Rockingham Stakes (Listed) 6f

Angels Passing was far from disgraced in the Lowther Stakes at York, especially as that was her first start since June and just her third all told, and she is fancied to build on that now.

Thrown into the Listed Marygate Stakes at York on debut, she ran as well as could be expected and showed the benefit of that outing when running out the easy winner of a three-runner maiden at Hamilton. She shaped a fair bit better than the bare result when nine lengths adrift of Libertango in the Lowther, keeping on in the closing stages having initially had her run from the rear interrupted by traffic. She will have learnt plenty from that outing, given her lack of experience and a recent run going into York, and is capable of surprising some better-fancied rivals here.

2.05 Sky Bet For The Fans Handicap 1m 2f 156yd

Stoneacre Donny showed that he was well suited by softish ground when winning on such a surface as a juvenile and he comes here having shown improved form on his last two starts. A facile winner over course and distance in September from subsequent winner Pearl River, he looked to be going best when turned out under a penalty at Doncaster six days later, but got shuffled back after meeting interference, before running on again under a hand ride to be beaten less than two lengths by Bourbon Blues.

Stoneacre Donny is now up 1lb after being reassessed for his course win, but is clearly thriving at present and should make a bold bid to make amends for his Town Moor misfortune. Priced up at 33/1 initially, that looked hugely out of line, but there is still some juice in his current odds, and he would have been disputing favouritism if I was pricing the contest up.

Wykehurst Park 1.50 Newmarket – 1pt win @ 8/1 (general)

Rock Montreal 2.25 Newmarket – 2pts win @ 13/8 (Hills; 6/4 general)

Desert Castle 3.00 Newmarket – 2pts win @ 4/5 (general)

Naval Tribute 3.40 Newmarket – 1pt e/w @ 20/1 (Ladbrokes, Coral – 5 places)

Angels Passing 1.30 York – 1pt e/w @ 14/1 (Bet365 – 4 pl; general 3 pl)

Stoneacre Donny 2.05 York – 1pt e/w @ 18/1 (general – 5 places)