Listed races and hot handicaps

No fewer than eleven meetings today, but surprisingly for a Saturday, no group races - due no doubt to the proximity of Royal Ascot which starts on Tuesday. However we have listed races at both Sandown and York, and both these courses - as well as Chéster and Musselburgh- also stage some valuable handicaps.

Sandow s listed event is for 3yo´s over 5 furlongs at 15.55 CET and Profitable (Clive Cox/Adam Kirby), who won a similar race at York last time, must concede 3 lbs all round. Waady (John Gosden/ Dame O´Neill) looks very dangerous, and so does the filly Likely (David Barron/ Andrea Atzeni), who won her only race in excellent style more than a year ago. German-breds do not normally shine at this distance, but this Fährhof-bred could be the exception to the rule and looks an exciting prospect if she comes back in the same form. Another German-btred we like here is Basem (Saeed bin Suroor/ James Doyle) at 15..20; he is also coming off a long break, but we remember the way his half-brother Farhh improved with Age and hope he does the same; their dam Gonbarda (by Lando) was a German Group One winner. bin Suroor and Doyle can double up Classic Win at 17.05; this Godolphin 3yo has also won his only race very easily and is expected to show dramatic improvement, although the same is probably true of Sir Alex Ferguson´s Grand Inquisitor (Sir Michael Stoute/ Ryan Moore), obviously the main danger here.

At York the listed event is over a mile at 16.10, and although it is open to 3yo´s, only older horses are running, including Baltic Knight (Richard Hannon/ Jamie Spencer), who won this in 2013. He can go close again, but our preferencer is for Hord de Combat (James Fanshawe/ Tom Queally), from a stable with an excellent strike rate. The top handicap here is over 6 furlongs for 3yo´s at 16.45 and the field has some candidates who will be contesting group races before long, notably Scalzo (Martyn Meade/ Paul Hanagan), who has won both his 2015 starts very easily, and Twilight Son (Henry Candy/ Fergus Sweeney), who is still unbeaten; both of them have ahot up the weights, so there no certainties here, and both Burnt Sugar (Hannon/ Pat Dobbs) and Magical Memory (Charlie Hills/ Martin Harley) could be dangerous. The card opens with the top race of the year for lady amateur riders; Pearl Castle (John Quinn/ Serena Brotherton) won this last year and looks as if he can score again for this very experienced jockey, but we also like the much-improved Ralphy Lad (Alan Swinbank/ Sarah O´Brien), who has won his last 3 starts; the rider has the perfect pedigree, as both her paents were champion amateurs, and she has in fact won on her last 4 mounts - all Irish bumpers trained by her father Aidan.