IT can’t be Royal Ascot every week. Or the July meeting. Or Glorious Goodwood, masquerading as the Qatar Goodwood Festival. The problem is though, when you happen upon a British racing weekend that drops in among those meetings, after the last Lord Mayor’s show and before the next one, the quality runs thin.

Not that connections of the winner of the Class 2 Mettal UK Handicap at Newbury will be complaining. It’s an £80,000 handicap, over £40,000 to the winner, and you can see why Prydwen has been put in as favourite for it. 

He has to give plenty of weight to all of his rivals, 5lb and more, but he is the classiest horse in the race. And, on the subject of weight, George Scott’s horse was obviously punching way too far above his in the Ascot Gold Cup last time, but he had been in good form before that, winning the All-Weather Championships Marathon at Newcastle on Good Friday and following up at Southwell a month later off a 6lb higher mark.

He is up to a mark of 108 now though, and he is short enough, and it may be that he is better on all-weather than he is on turf. His best runs have been on all-weather. Also, he reportedly doesn’t like to be among horses, and it is notable how he is generally taken wide to deliver his challenge. That worked at Newcastle and at Southwell, but it may not be so easy to do at Newbury today, where they all tend to come wide into the home straight these days, especially on easy ground.

Best value

Dancing In Paris could represent the value of the race. He is the sole representative in the race for trainer Ian Williams, who has won two of the last four renewals, and who has probably had this year’s renewal in mind for Dancing In Paris for a little while.

The Olympic Glory gelding is progressive too, and he is unexposed over staying trips. Campaigned over 10 and 12 furlongs at the end of last season, he dropped back to a mile in the early part of this season, but he improved when he stepped back up to 10 furlongs at Lingfield in May, and he improved again when he stepped up to 12 furlongs next time, winning a handicap at York’s Dante meeting off a mark of 75, staying on strongly down the near side and leaving the impression that he needed every yard of the 12-furlong trip.

He stepped up to a mile and six furlongs last time at Ascot, and he probably put up the best performance of his career. He travelled well into the home straight, he hit the front fully a furlong and a half out, and he stayed on resolutely to see off the challenge of a talented and unexposed horse of Andrew Balding’s in Tactician. There was only a head in it in the end, but it appeared as if Dancing In Paris was always holding his younger rival.

He steps up in trip again today to two miles, but he races as if he will get the trip all right. His half-brother Beechwood Jude won over two miles and his grandam Ponte Tresa won the Group 2 Prix Kergorlay over a mile and seven furlongs. He could improve for stepping up again in trip. He looks over-priced.

Summer fizz

Vintage Fizz looks over-priced too in the Summer Plate at Market Rasen. Jedd O’Keeffe’s horse does tend to jump to his left, which is not ideal at a right-handed track, but he ran a big race last time over today’s course and distance when he went down by a neck to Yccs Portocervo. 

He travelled like the most likely winner into the home straight that day, but he was out to his left at each of the last two fences, and he got in tight to both. He lost momentum at both obstacles, which probably cost him victory, as he was closing on the winner all the way to the line.

A 3lb hike for that was fair, he meets the winner now on 1lb better terms but, more than that, he has the potential to improve on that now. He is only seven and that was just his eighth run over fences. Also, it was just his second run back after a break since last December, so there is every chance that he will come forward again.

Smooth operator

He goes well on this ground, and we know that he can operate at the track, despite the fact that he can go to his left. Also, we know that he stays the trip, and that he goes into the race in good form. There are plenty of positives.

It is obviously a highly competitive race, in which you can make a case for many. Boombawn ran well over two miles last time to finish second behind Matterhorn at Worcester in a novices’ handicap chase. The winner won easily at Stratford next time off a 4lb higher mark, he is now 9lb higher than he was then. Boonbawn gets to race off the same mark today, and he should be happier back up in trip.

Statuario is also a danger, you always have to look at all the Bowen horses here, Peter Bowen has been responsible for three of the last six winners of the race, and he had the runner-up last year when he didn’t win it, and the fourth in 2020. Statuario seems to be better at Perth than he is anywhere else, but his two runs at Market Rasen in 2022 were good, he was third in this race then behind his stable companion Francky Du Berlais so, even though he is a stone higher now, he still has to be on your shortlist.

Recommended:

Dancing In Paris 2.25 Newbury: 1 pt win 8/1 (general)

Vintage Fizz 3.15 Market Rasen: 1 point each-way 16/1 (general)