13:50 - Wisconsin
This will be the first time I have sat on him. You can put a line through his Ascot run as he hung very badly left there and had no chance thereafter and he ran a much better race when fifth to Rekindling in the Curragh Cup last time with the headgear taken off.
He has yet to match his illustrious pedigree with performances on the track but he put up a career-best last time, is having only his fifth start and he doesn't need to step forward a lot to trouble the form horses like Raheen House.
I think Atty Persse is probably the one to beat, though you can make a case for a few of the others - the likes of Crowned Eagle, Tamleek and Sofia's Rock - as well. It's a tight race.
14:25 - U S Navy Flag
Seamie has ridden him in all of his starts so far, so I haven't sat on him yet. He clearly has a lot to find with a few of these if judged on his Coventry run - not least the winner Rajasinghe, who carries a 3lb penalty - but he was pretty impressive when making all at the Curragh earlier in the month, a race in which I rode the fourth, where he was tried in blinkers for the first time. It could be that the headgear has made a big difference to him, so it is no surprise that it is left on here.
By the way, it was good, fast ground at the Curragh last time, not the good to yielding that the form book tells you it was, and I think the combination of decent ground and blinkers suit him well.
He is not without a chance, but ideally I would like it to stay dry for him now after the 18mm of rain we got through Tuesday. I think the Windsor Castle winner Sound And Silence is probably my idea of the most likely winner, though Invincible Army was impressive here last time.
15:00 - Hyde Park
This is his first start over 6f since his debut and it looks worth trying after he appears to have dropped away tamely in the Britannia last time and beat only one home. That clearly wasn't his true running, though. His earlier third over 7f at Goodwood saw him raised 3lb, so you would struggle to say he was particularly well treated in this competitive handicap - though he was eased 1lb for Ascot - but he had good course form here at two and hopefully a strongly-run 6f will see him step forward. He has form on fast and with cut, so he is versatile if any more rain does arrive.
I was impressed by Cartographer last time and Goodwood Crusader is obviously on a roll, but Victory Angel also interests me back in handicap company. It's a hard race to call, as you'd expect.
15:35 - Poets Word
There is only 6lb between the seven runners in this field, with Frontiersman the top-rated after his second to Highland Reel at Epsom last time. He could well be suited by the first-time cheekpieces too, as may last year's King George runner-up Wings Of Desire, who didn't run too badly in the Hardwicke on his reappearance when not getting the run of the race.
But I think Poet's Word is the type to progress again and give all of these a race. He impressed at Chelmsford and he improved again when just failing to collar me on Deauville at Chester last time. The form of that race has obviously worked out pretty well, and he strikes me as a colt from whom the best is yet to come.
16:05 - Maybride
Obviously, any number of the well-bred newcomers could be troublesome here. But my filly sets the form standard on her debut second in the soft at Haydock and she probably progressed when in midfield in the Queen Mary on quick ground.
16:35 - Compas Scoobie
He is another one that I haven't sat on before, but he looks to be a model of consistency and versatile as regards ground, and has been upped 2lb for a good second in first-time blinkers over course and distance last time. If he runs his race again then he should be thereabouts, I guess.
17:05 - Larchmont Lad
If the Princess Of Wales's Stakes is tight on official ratings, then this is ridiculously so, with only 3lb separating seven of the eight. Larchmont Lad is actually the clear top-rated on 107 and last year's Tattersalls Stakes winner ran fair races in the Craven and Guineas before just being touched off over 7f last time when dropped to Listed company.
He possibly may not have progressed as much as they would have liked this season, but he certainly has the talent to be competitive in this grade. There are plenty of dangers though, the pick of which may be the placed horses in the Britannia, Ronald R and Tricorn.
Ryan Moores Betfair Column
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