SWINGALONG only finished fourth in the Qipco British Champions Sprint Stakes on Champions’ Day last year, but she is a better filly this year, and she could get even closer today than she did 12 months ago.

Karl Burke’s filly ran a big race last year. She led the main group in the centre as Art Power ploughed a lone furrow up the far side. In the end, she was left on her own as she moved towards the near side late on, and nothing could get to the 40/1 winner Art Power on the far side, but she kept on well to finish fourth in the end, with a nice break between the first four and the rest.

She has ground to make up on Kinross from that day, on the winner Art Power and on her stable companion Spycatcher, but she is a better filly now as a four-year-old than she was then. There is every chance that she will be able to make up the ground.

The Showcasing filly ran a big race in the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot over today’s course and distance.

She led from early that day, and she only gave best deep inside the final furlong to Khaadem, who was delivered late from well back in the field. That is strong sprint form, she had July Cup winner Mill Stream and Sapphire Stakes winner Believing immediately behind her then.

She ran another big race in the July Cup, again racing prominently from early and only giving best to Mill Stream deep inside the final furlong.

We know that she goes well at Ascot. She has never won there, but she has run there three times, and those three runs are up there in the best five or six runs of her life.

She goes well on soft ground, and on soft ground at Ascot, and on soft ground at Ascot at this time of year. A forward-going racing style is often not a positive at Ascot, but the pace held up really well on this day last year on soft ground, so her running style may actually be a positive today. And, with Clifford Lee on Elite Status, Billy Loughnane is a great booking.

Balmoral Handicap

You can make cases for many in the concluding Balmoral Handicap. State Actor goes there with a real chance for starters. Bill Farrell’s horse won his maiden on heavy ground at the Curragh in April, and he did well to come from well back in the field to win a good handicap on Irish Guineas weekend back at the Curragh at the end of May.

Only just beaten by Wigmore Street in the Irish Cambridgeshire last time off a handicap rating of 91, he is only 4lb higher here, and that gives him a real chance.

He retains buckets of scope for progression, he has a nice low draw, and Chris Hayes rode him to win his maiden. The only problem is that he hasn’t been missed by the market.

Bopedro ran well in this race last year to finish fourth, and he ran another big race at Ascot last time in the Challenge Cup over seven furlongs, when he stayed on to finish third, just a head behind runner-up Qirat.

He goes well at Ascot, the step back up to a mile should suit him and he is nicely drawn too in stall three.

Daysofourlives beat the Cambridgeshire winner at Doncaster last time. He is progressive and he has won at Ascot, and Carrytheone has the talent to win one of these big handicaps if things fall his way.

The Colm Quinn BMW Mile winner Mexicali Rose ran well in a listed race at Tipperary last time.

But conditions have come in favour of Mr Professor, and he looks over-priced. He was well beaten the last time we saw him, and that was at Ascot, but that was in the Buckingham Palace Handicap at the Royal meeting on good to firm ground.

That is his only run at Ascot to date, but conditions will be very different today to the conditions that he faced in June.

He proved his ability to act on soft ground when he won the Lincoln at Doncaster in March, and soft-ground form at Doncaster is often an asset to take into a soft-ground race at Ascot.

The Amo Racing horse has never finished out of the first four in nine runs on soft ground, and he has won three of those nine races, including the Lincoln and a listed race at Pontefract in October as a juvenile.

He hasn’t run since that run in the Buckingham Palace in June, but he goes well fresh, and he has a nice draw in stall four.

They tend to go towards the far side in this race, the last race on Champions’ Day and, interestingly, nine of the last 10 winners of this race were drawn 11 or lower, and last year the first seven home were all drawn nine or lower.

Recommended:

Swingalong, 1.55 Ascot, 12/1

(generally), 1 point win

Mr Professor, 4.35 Ascot, 16/1 (Paddy Power, William Hill),

1 point each-way