18th-Jun-2015

The form of Dissolution’s second in the London Gold Cup at Newbury on his latest run could be boosted by Time Test in the Tercentenary Stakes earlier in the afternoon. Dissolution is a big player here, but he is already plenty short enough for a race like the King George V Handicap in my book, and I am taking him on …

Space Age shaped nicely in the London Gold Cup on his first run of the season. Keen early on there, he was starting to make progress together with Time Test in the home straight when the pair went for the same gap just inside the final two furlongs. Time Test got there just in front of Space Age who was forced in behind horses and lost crucial momentum. No better than ninth or 10th a furlong and a half out, he picked up well again from there and stayed on well all the way home, just missing out on fourth.

He improved from that promising run to win at Newmarket three weeks ago. There were only five runners in that race, but all of them were promising and Space Age was probably not suited by having to make his own running. He was narrowly headed by Suffused inside the final furlong but battled back to get up and win by a neck, very much in the style of a horse who would be suited by stepping up to a mile and a half.

He has been raised just 3lb for that win, and he is still very much a horse on the up. His draw right on the outside in stall 20 isn’t ideal on the face of it, but actually a wide draw isn’t always the disadvantage it can be perceived to be over a mile and a half at Ascot. Last year the first three home in this race came from stalls 14, 21 and 22, two years ago the first four home were drawn 10, 15, 16 and 21 and the year before that the winner came from stall 17. The draw may have had too big a bearing on Space Age’s price and he is worth backing.

SPACE AGE WON (ADV 12/1, SP 9/1)