15:55 Chester

This is a good race but SPIRIT MIXER (best price 3/1) is just improving so fast I’m confident he can bring up the four-timer for Andrew Balding. He stayed on strongly to win here last month and I know he has been slammed with a 7lb rise for that but he goes up to 2 miles for the first time here and remains thoroughly unexposed. He wouldn’t want this to turn tactical but I don’t think it will considering the quality of horses lining up and I can see Callum Hutchinson rattling home up the straight still with plenty of horse under him. Oman was denied just a neck by the selection on return and that was a huge run. He failed to back that up at Goodwood but back here with the blinkers on he might be the one to chase him home. Merlin’s Beard won at Lingfield and then ran a big race in defeat at Newbury so also has to enter calculations.
 

17:10 Sandown

Another competitive race but I really like the claims of MOEL ARTHUR (best price 3/1) given recent form. This son of Flintshire left previous form well behind to open his account on handicap debut at Lingfield back in February. The front pair pulled miles clear from the rest so that was a good effort. He then bumped into the progressive Way Of Life when denied just a neck on return at Newbury and he likely improved in defeat there. That horse went down just a neck off a mark of 78 at Chepstow since so even with the selection going up 6lb he still looks to have a bit of wiggle room off his current mark. Arabian Warrior wasn’t disgraced in third behind Spirit Mixer at Chelmsford and looks the danger on that form. High Wells bumped into Kalamity Kitty at Nottingham last month and also has to have a squeak if building on that run.