Two G1 cups the highlight of Friday's card.
They are the Commonwealth Cup for 3yos (no geldings which is absolutely ridiculous – there may be some justification in the Classics but not in this!) with 15 to run the 1200m. Inisherin is one we have been following and starts favourite here on 2/1 for Kevin Ryan and Tom Eaves – he's by Shamardal. Jasour is by Havana Grey and is on 4/1 for Cox-Crowley as he is a c&d winner already. We've gone a bit wider for the other picks both on 12/1 – Givemethebeatboys is with Jess Harrington and Sean Foley to ride the son of Bungle in the Jungle, and Pandora's Gift, a Churchill product with Stuart Williams and Sean Levey rides, who is going for a 5th win in a row. His previous wins have been on polytrack but he wouldn't be here if the connections didn't think he could make the transition.
The Coronation Cup is for 3yos over the 1600m round and the first two in the market are by the American super sire Justify. They are Opera Singer on 11/8 for O'Brien-Moore and Ramatuelle 3/1 for Christopher Head and Oisin Murphy. Elmalka is on 9/2 for Roger Varian and James Doyle, and we are going to have a bit of e/w on Porta Fortuna with Donnnacha O'Brien booking Tom Marquand for the ride. He's by Caravaggio, and for those non-Italian speakers a Porta Fortuna is a ladybird and literally means "carry luck".
The King Edward VII is G2 over 2400m for the boys – and yes geldings are allowed. 14 runners with Diego Velazquez one of the four Aidan O'Brien runners and he gets Ryan Moore. He's by Frankel, and Space Legend Haggas-James Doyle is by Sea The Stars.
We are taking a bit of a punt here with Voyage, who was first over the line in the Derby but unfortunately without his jockey so Pat Dobbs is back again and hopefully will be with his mount for the whole trip. They are on 17/2, and the French raider Calandagan races in the Aga Khan colours – Francis Graffard and Stephane Pasquier – with the son of Gleneagles on 9/1.
The G3 Albany Stakes starts the day and it's over 1200m for the 2yos. Going is good to firm adfter overnight watering. Fairy Godmother is on 11/8 for O'Brien Moore and she's a daughter of Night of Thunder, with the Lope de Vega daughter Mountain Breeze ib 3/1 for Appleby-Buick. Twafeeg is by Fair Anove and on 13/2 for Archie Watson and Hollie Doyle and our roughie here is Hot Darling on 25/1. She's by No Nay Never and is trained by Amy Murphy with de Sousa riding. It's up in trip for her but she has good French form.
