29th-Jul-2023

I had a long shortlist for this, it included Biggles and Escobar and Fresh and Safe Voyage and Vafortino, but Baradar was always at the top of the list and he is the bet.

He has it all in his favour today: seven furlongs, big field, Ascot, easy ground.  He travelled best of all to the furlong marker in the Lincoln on his debut this season, he looked the most likely winner, but he just didn’t get home over a mile.

The Victoria Cup was the ideal race for him after that, seven furlongs at Ascot, and he only finished sixth in that, behind Biggles and Vafortino and Safe Voyage, but he didn’t have the run of the race.  He moved over towards the near side early on from his low draw, but he ended up moving back towards the centre gradually, in order to get racing room.  In the end, he did well to keep on as well as he did.

That was a strong race, a race from which the fourth-placed Spycatcher has since come out and won a Group 3 race in France.

You have to allow him his run in the Buckingham Palace last time at the Royal meeting, over today’s course and distance, but that was on fast ground, so you easily can.

He was dropped 1lb for that Buckingham Palace run, which was a nice bonus.  It takes him back down to a mark of 96, just 3lb higher than the mark off which he won at Doncaster on his final run last season, when he had Biggles behind him.  He is 1lb better off with Biggles, despite the fact that he beat him by over a length, and the form of that race has obviously been enhanced since.

His high draw is probably an advantage, Kevin Stott is a really good rider, and the fitting of cheekpieces could elicit further improvement.

BARADAR WON (ADV 15/2, SP 16/1)