25th-Sept-2020

I am taking a chance on Walton Street here.  He is only the second Godolphin string, according to the market and to jockey bookings, but there may be less between him and Loxley than the disparity in their respective odds suggests.

Third in the Duke of Edinburgh Stakes at Royal Ascot and in the Geoffrey Freer Stakes at Newbury in 2018 as a four-year-old, Walton Street only raced twice last season, finishing second to Wells Farhh Go in a listed race at Newmarket and then just getting caught and going down by just a short neck to the talented German horse Ashrun (who was second in the Group 2 Prix Kergorlay back at Deauville last month) in a Group 3 race at Deauville, when he had his stable companion First Nation two lengths behind him in third.

He didn’t race again after that until he made his debut this season as a six-year-old in a conditions race at Lingfield two weeks ago, when he put up a fine performance to finish second to fellow Godolphin horse Desert Fire.  He was keen through the early stages of the race, which was understandable for a horse who had been off the track for over a year, but he hit the front on the run to the furlong pole, only giving best to Desert Fire deep inside the final furlong.

He can go well fresh, but he should settle better today with that run under his belt.  His prominent style of racing should be well suited to Newmarket, and he stays a mile and a half well, so James Doyle can be as aggressive on him as he likes.

Loxley is obviously a danger, he is rated 6lb superior to Walton Street, but he hasn’t run since he beat Defoe by a short head in a Group 2 race at Meydan in March, and he was well beaten when well fancied at Doncaster last September on his first run back after a break, and he is short.

WALTON STREET WON (ADV 5/1, SP 6/1)