Steve Ryder's Friday Racing Tips

The Kevin Ryan trained Cairn Island (best priced at 9/2) put in a career best performance last time to win at Newmarket and the three-year-old should hold strong claims of following up off only 3lb higher. The son of Kodiac beat the now 110 rated Perotto in a nursery over this course and distance as a two-year-old before being gelded before his reappearance as a three-year-old this season where he finished 4th in a really strong contest. The form of that run has worked out extremely well with the winner Creative Force winning with next three starts including a Group 3 at Royal Ascot and is now rated 24lb higher, the second Significantly now 14lb higher, the third Jumby now 9lb higher and the fifth Rohaan now rated 19lb higher. 
Cairn Island can be excused his next start at Chester and bounced back to form last time at Newmarket when he won comfortably by 1 ¼ lengths off a mark of 90. The handicapper has raised him 3lb for that victory but that makes him only 2lb higher than that race earlier this season at Newmarket and I expect him to follow up here. 
 

With Albaflora an early NR in this race, it gives it a much more open look and preference goes to the William Haggas trained Domino Darling (best priced at 7/1). On the face of it, the four-year-old only finishing 4th when sent off joint-favourite last time at Windsor could be seen as disappointing but the form has taken some boosts since. The winner Teona won the Group 1 Prix Vermeille beating three-time Group 1 winner Snowfall, the 2nd Desert Encounter finished 2nd in the Grade 1 Canadian International behind Walton Street and even the third Fox Tal finished a close 3rd behind Hamish and Hukum in the Group 3 September Stakes on his next start. 

Domino Darling had previously only been beaten a nose by the reopposing Forbearance at York and I expect the filly to run well with four places still available on the race.  

The Andrew Balding trained Majestic Glory (best priced at 5/2) has won both of her previous starts at Newmarket and should hold strong claims of completing the hat-trick in this race. The daughter of Frankel has progressed with each of her career starts and appreciated the step up to 7f last time to win the Group 3 Sweet Solera Stakes by a length. She beat the Godolphin filly Wild Beauty that day who boosted the form of that race by winning a Grade 1 in Canada on Sunday. 

Oscula is top-rated in the field but I do feel that Majestic Glory sets the standard and should prove hard to beat with Ryan Moore taking over on the Doreen Tabor owned filly. 

Godolphin have a strong hand in the Group 2 Joel Stakes this year with both 2000 Guineas runner-up Master Of The Seas and 2019 winner Benbatl (best priced at 11/4). Preference goes to the Saeed Bin Suroor stable star who was unlucky not to make a winning reappearance at Goodwood in the Celebration Mile. He was slowly away and keen early on in the race before Oisin Murphy was forced to make a challenge earlier than he probably wanted to and a lack of fitness from 337 days off the track meant Lavender’s Blue nabbed him on the line by a short head. 

Benbatl won this race in 2019 and finished a length 3rd last season behind Kameko so we know he handles conditions well and he should prove hard to beat. He has to concede 4lb to Master Of The Seas who has the same rating but he has been off the track 146 days and this is surely being used as a stepping stone for targets later in the season.