Outback traveller close to a repeat

It has been a superb Royal Ascot with Aidan O’Brien again carrying all before him, although Godolphin are also in fine form. It helps that they have William Buick on their side because he is a real class act and his ride on Rare Rhythm, absent for a year, in the Duke Of Edinburgh Stakes, could be used as a guide for younger jockeys.Compare and contrast, as the old exam papers used to say. Quite what Adam Kirby was hoping to achieve from so far out the back on Sixties Groove is hard to fathom but he couldn’t possibly win from there. Buick, on the other hand, made sure he was just on the outside of a packing field so that interference was highly unlikely. Jeremy Noseda was probably disappointed but Sixties Groove can certainly win a valuable middle-distance handicap, while there is also a good race in Abe Lincoln, who was racing on

Compare and contrast, as the old exam papers used to say. Quite what Adam Kirby was hoping to achieve from so far out the back on Sixties Groove is hard to fathom but he couldn’t possibly win from there. Buick, on the other hand, made sure he was just on the outside of a packing field so that interference was highly unlikely. Jeremy Noseda was probably disappointed but Sixties Groove can certainly win a valuable middle-distance handicap, while there is also a good race in Abe Lincoln, who was racing on ground far faster in the Hunt Cup than he encountered in the Britannia last year.

Buick could yet lift the Ascot jockeys’ title because he has good chances for Godolphin on Masar in the Chesham and the well-handicapped Culturati in the Wokingham. However, Moore will no doubt be aboard a real class act in US Army Ranger in the quaint Queen Alexandra Stakes.If backing Culturati in the Wokingham, I suggest a

If backing Culturati in the Wokingham, I suggest a saver on last year’s winner Outback Traveller, who is only 4lb higher and had a similarly encouraging prep run in the Victoria Cup this time around.

I am starting to lose patience with Medburn Dream, who has had enough tries, but if Silvestre de Sousa can get him out quickly and race on the stands’ side, he has a leading chance in the 7.50 at Lingfield.