King´s Stand and St. James´s Palace

These two races are also Group One and both have large and very competitive fields. Prohibit (Robert Cowell/ Jim Crowley) won the King´s Stand (five furlongs, 16.05 CET) last year, but has been below form this season and in any case this looks a stronger renewal. Bated Breath (Roger Charlton/ James Doyle) won the Temple Stakes last time, but in our opinion was lucky to beat Sole Power (Eddie Lynam/ Johnny Murtagh).

Sole Power had won the Nunthorpe in 2010, a race won last year by Margot Did (Michael Bell/ Hayley Turner). Tangerine Trees (Bryan Smart/ Tom Eaves) won the Abbaye in 2011, with Sole Power again unlucky. Wizz Kid (Robert Collet/ Gerald Mosse) is possibly the best French horse at this trip, and was an impressive winner of the Gros-Chene (for the second time) recently. Much will depend of the extent to which the ground has dried out after last week´ s rain and of the draw, about which we shall know much more after the race; historically the stands side (high numbers) has an advantage, but that does not have to be the case, However when all is said and done, we do not think the Europeans are good enough to beat the specalists from Australia and Hong Kong. We are not sure which of Ortensia (Paul Messara/ Craig Williams), Joy and Fun (Derek Cruz/ Brett Doyle) and Little Bridge (Danny Shum/ Zac Purton) will win, but we are convinced that they will all be involved and they will prob ably dominate the race.

Tjhe St. James´s Palace Stakes for 3yo´s over a mile at 16.45 looks very difficult, with different form lines from the English, Irish and French 2,000 Guineas to consider. Power (Aidan and Joseph O´Brien) won the Irish version and also won the Coventry. He is the .likely favourite, and if you can forgive his feeble effort at Newmarket, the form choice. Lucayan (Francois Rohaut/ Stephane Pasquier) won the French version, but that was a messy race; he has been supplemented here and his trainer thinks he has improved a lot, but he probably needs to. Of the 3 French runners, we just prefer Hermival (Mikel Delzangles/ Gregory Benloist), third at Newmarket and sixth at the Curragh, but we fancy Born to Sea (John Oxx/ Johnny Murtagh), unplaced in both those races but noted running on strongly in Ireland. The half-brother to such stars as Sea the Stars and Galileo is expeced to show significantly better form this time and he is our selection.