22nd-Jun-2019

Lope Y Fernandez is obviously a big player in the Chesham Stakes, he was impressive in winning on his racecourse debut at The Curragh, and Aidan O’Brien nominated the Chesham Stakes as a potential target directly after the race.

That said, I don’t think that Pinatubo should be a 7/2 or a 4/1 shot against him, and the Godolphin colt is the value in my book. 

He was impressive in beating fellow Godolphin horse Platinum Star on his racecourse debut at Wolverhampton, and Platinum Star won next time and was only just beaten by Southern Hills in the Windsor Castle Stakes on Wednesday.  Then Pinatubo stepped forward from that to beat Oh Purple Rain in the Woodcote Stakes at Epsom. 

He was slowly away that day, and he didn’t really handle the track, but he still ran out an impressive winner.  He should be happier back on a more conventional track today, and he should come forward from that, just his second run. 

The fact that he has won on all-weather is an asset to take to Ascot’s straight track, the drying ground is in his favour, and I like that he is a son of Shamardal, a sire whose progeny tend to run well in this race, a race in which each runner’s sire or dam has to have won over 10 furlongs or more. 

I do like Year Of The Tiger, he is a son of Galileo out of speedster Tiggy Wiggy, and he shaped really nicely on his racecourse debut behind Lil Grey, who ran very well in the Albany Stakes yesterday.  But he is a little bit of a shot in the dark, and I prefer Pinatubo.

PINATUBO WON (ADV 7/2, SP 3/1)