Newbury Saturday:

1:50 - Sky Sports Racing Aston Park Stakes (Group 3) 1m4f

So Moonstruck, beaten in a three-way photo for the Deutsches Derby in 2022 when last seen, is an intriguing runner but surely in need of the run after such an absence. He’s entered in the Hardwicke at Royal Ascot but given his ownership, I’d not be surprised if his main target for the summer was the Glorious Stakes at Goodwood in early August.

In the expectation that So Moonstruck needs this, though, the way looks clear for Desert Hero, who looked better than ever when a head second of seven to Okeechobee in the Gordon Richards Stakes at Sandown last time, closing the winner down at the line and looking as if a return to a mile and a half would be in his favour. A winner of the Gordon Stakes at this trip last summer, he went on to finish third in the St Leger and ought to win this given the level and consistency of his form.

2:25 - Highclere Castle Gin Carnarvon Stakes (Listed) 6f

Almost all of these are entered in the Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot and this is effectively a trial for that race. Ironically, the pair who make most appeal at the overnight odds are the two who aren’t engaged at Royal Ascot. James’s Delight is not eligible for the Commonwealth Cup as he’s a gelding, but he seems a solid starting point. After romping home at Pontefract on his seasonal debut, it was no surprise connections felt stepping him up to seven furlongs for the Greenham was a good idea. He gave the firm impression that the final furlong was too far for him, and that was confirmed when he made short work of a competitive handicap over this trip at Newmarket last time. He shouldn’t be underestimated.

Another who raced in the Greenham here and shaped better than the result was Room Service, who looks held on what he showed there. His defeat of the useful Dragon Leader in the Weatherby’s Scientific 2-y-o Stakes at Doncaster is smart form, as he was conceding the runner-up 8lb, and a mark of 102 looks fully justified on that run. He was held up in the Greenham and it paid to be handy in that race, so is best not judged on that run in isolation.

3:00 - Trade Nation London Gold Cup Handicap 1m2f

Individualism appears well treated on the pick of his juvenile form and is bred to progress well with age. Despite being beaten over 1m on his return at Musselburgh, he looks worth sticking with over this longer trip.

A half-brother to Gold Cup winner Subjectivist is by Too Darn Hot, who was best at seven furlongs, but is producing winners at a wide range of trips, so the stamina in his dam’s side ought to shine through. He lacked the pace of Ice Max at Musselburgh last time but travelled well there and stayed on when headed. He split subsequent winners Respectful and Volterra at Ayr last autumn, and that duo are now rated 87 and 91 respectively. He can race off 78 here and is finally getting a test of stamina that his pedigree says he’ll need, so he could still prove well treated despite languishing at the foot of the handicap.

3:35 - Al Shaqab Lockinge Stakes (Group 1) 1m

Leopoldo Fernández Pujals doesn’t do things by halves and is determined to make the same impact in racing as he has in business despite first dipping his toe into the thoroughbred market as recently as 2019, and he recently raised eyebrows by transferring the horses he had in training with Christopher Head to Maurizio Guarnieri, including Big Rock, who put up the performance of the 2023 flat season by spreadeagling his rivals in the QEII Stakes on Champions Day.

Big Rock showed that he is a top-class performer on a sound surface when second in a trio of Group 1 races in the summer but was a revelation on testing ground at Ascot as he made all the running at a strong pace to win by a wide margin. He had beaten Horizon Dore by five lengths in the Group 3 Prix de Guiche on his previous try on such a surface, and will always be hard to catch when the mud is flying. He didn’t stay the extended mile and a quarter in the Prix du Jockey Club when beating all bar Ace Impact, and the stiff mile of the Lockinge should be ideal, with the ground unlikely to ride faster than good, which would be a minor concern. A bigger worry is the odd switch of stables, as Guarnieri is not exactly a household name, and has had only two winners in France this year from around 50 runners.

Newmarket Saturday

2:40 - Trustatrader.com Handicap 7f

The form case for Quinault cannot be faulted. Say York and Newmarket last summer he won competitive three-year-old handicaps with Mill Stream and Washington Heights close behind him on both occasions and that pair have both won Group races this season, with Washington Heights landing the Abernant Stakes at Newmarket, beating Mill Stram by half a length before the latter reversed the form in the Group 2 Duke of York on Wednesday. That collateral form line intertwines nicely, and suggests that Quinault may still be ahead of the handicapper, with his sole blip last year coming at the end of a really busy season when he won seven times.

Quinault did most of his racing over six furlongs last summer, but he did beat subsequent listed winner Popmaster (now rated 12lb higher than at the time) over this trip at Ascot on his penultimate start, and this expensive breeze-up purchase remains open to improvement with another winter on his back. It’s worth noting that Stuart Williams has entered him for the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot, and I would not be surprised in the slightest if he developed into a Group-class performer over the coming months.

3:15 - Jenningsbet Leading Independent Bookmakers Handicap 1m

Aalto probably took time to acclimatise for Ian Williams after leaving Henri-Francois Devin last summer. It was a better effort from him on his seasonal debut for the yard at Newmarket, finding only the fit-and-fancied Crack Shot too good. The handicapper has put him up 2lb for that but is still 4lb below his initial mark, and with conditions ideal again here, he has every chance of going one better.

Recommended

James’s Delight 2:25 Newbury – 1pt win @ 6/1 (Bet365, Hills)

Individualism 3:00 Newbury – 1pt e/w @ 11/1 (Paddy Power, Betfair – 4 places)

Quinault 2:40 Newmarket – 2pts win @ 8/1 (Bet365, 7/1 general)