DOUBLE HANDFUL

John Shaw’s racing betting column in association with

THE heatwave has continued for several weeks, and that’s a phrase you don’t hear often in this country — along with “those bankers do a good job for the country“.

The quick ground means only nine runners will contest the 10-furlong Coral-Eclipse — the most notable absentees being Permian and Jack Hobbs, who would both have preferred softer going.

Smart three-yearolds have a good record in this race, the likes of Sea The Stars and Golden Horn figuring most prominently in my ailing memory.

But there have been plenty of flops too, like The Ghurka at 4-5 last year ago, while Authorized and Motivator were also beaten at odds-on.

There’s a prevailing belief that this year’s crop of youngsters are no more than ordinary and that this year’s Derby was a very average affair.

There’s always a feeling that standards are on the slide, which is why I’ve found it’s always a good idea to set the bar low from the outset. We have five three-year-olds in the field and the bookies have stuck three of them at the front of the betting — Cliffs Of Moher, Barney Roy and Eminent. Derby runner-up Cliffs Of Moher and third-placed Eminent are good horses but they look too short in the betting for me, while Barney Roy is unproven over today’s trip. The book suggests there is value down the market and the two I like at the price are the pair that finished second and third in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes — Decorated Knight and ULYSSES. The latter shaped really well at Royal Ascot and I felt Sir Michael Stoute’s four-year-old would have prevailed with a better ride from Jim Crowley. It’s worth remembering that Stoute has a great record improving maturing horses and that Ulysses has had one run at Sandown and one win. The ground won’t be a problem and at the price he looks a great each-way shot to nothing.