Saturday the 11th of May...

14.05 Ascot: Robin Hood @ 33/1 Sky Bet - 1pt win

I thought Robin Hood ran a pretty fine race at Newbury in a competitive Handicap lto. He was outpaced from 4f out, and looked likely to finish at the back of the field. But he kept going and ran on really well in the final furlong to finish a decent 5th in the end. He's slipping further down in the mark nonetheless and is down to a very handy mark now I feel. Before he was mainly used a pacemaker for the big Ballydoyle guns he actually was quite a decent horse in his own right, finishing 2nd in the Group 2 Beresford Stakes as a 2yo. He had his problems after that, and appeared on the racetrack 16 month later again, then in a Handicap at Leopardstown, when he made all to win from the front in good style of a mark of 90. This was still last year, and now 7lb lower, he might be very dangerous on a good day. Even more so back over 12f, as I think this is more his trip as he's a Galileo and his dam won over 2m. I'd like to see him ridden more prominently again tomorrow and think he could spring a surprise here then over this sort of trip of his low mark.



15.55 Nottingham: Sound Of Guns @ 3/1 VC - 4pts win

This 3yo filly ran way better in the Nell Gwyn than the bare form suggests. She travelled really well for a long time, but found herself in a bad position from 3f out with a wall of horses in front of her. She couldn't get out there and had to wait for a gap. The gap never came as she got badly hampered 2f out and lost position and every chance to finish the race well as a result. The drop in trip back to sprinting distances shouldn't cause any trouble as I'd be worried about her stamina and the ability to stay the mile, 7f looks the maximum in my mind, so 6f could be her best trip. She has some fine form in the form book from her 2yo campaign when she finished 2nd to Rosdhu Queen in a Listed race and 3rd to Sir Prancealot in a Group 2, both over 5f. Fast ground is expected at Nottingham tomorrow, something that's really in her favour as she needs that type of ground to be seen at her best I feel. This here tomorrow will be only her sixth start and I think she can improve a good deal which would make her hard to beat here.