Paul Ferguson two selections from Newbury (Humbert Current at 1:25 and Adamant at 5:30) and one from Ayr (Beyond The Clouds at 2:55) for us on Saturday.
With the drying ground very much in his favour Beyond The Clouds (2:55) is fancied to go well in this afternoon’s Scottish Champion Hurdle.
Kevin Ryan’s five-year-old is unbeaten in three starts over hurdles and he promises to be well suited by a strongly run handicap such as this. A handicap mark of 142 looks fair and a big run looks on the cards.
Down at Newbury, the opening maiden can go the way of Humbert Current (1:25) who shaped with an abundance of promise on his debut at Yarmouth.
Owned and bred by The Queen, the Fastnet Rock colt was slowly away before making up considerable ground in the closing stages. The winner was subsequently sold for a staggering 1.9m Guineas and, should he step forward on that effort, William Haggas’ runner ought to be difficult to beat.
I am looking forward to seeing the return of Expert Eye in the Greenham Stakes, as his victory in the Vintage at Glorious Goodwood was the single most impressive two-year-old performance last season for me. Of course, he disappointed in the Dewhurst on his final outing, but I am hopeful that he will leave that form behind when returning and can put himself back in the 2,000 Guineas picture with victory here.
He is trading pretty short given the question mark surrounding him and of more interest from a punting perspective is his stable-mate Adamant (5:30) in the concluding 1m2f handicap.
Sir Michael Stoute’s lightly-raced four-year-old was seen just once last term, when beating a couple of smart performers in a Salisbury handicap. Judged on the subsequent exploits of the placed horses, the grey remains potentially well handicapped and he appeals as the type of horse that his trainer does well with at the age of four.
Saturday’s selections:
1:25 Newbury: Humbert Current; 10/11 Unibet
2:55 Ayr: Beyond The Clouds; 15/2 bet365
5:30 Newbury: Adamant; 10/3 Coral
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