CITY SLICKER
Carroll’s stayer set to turn up heat in Summer Handicap
SAIGON CITY is the one to beat in the Qatar Summer Handicap (2.25) at Glorious Goodwood.
Declan Carroll’s seven-yearold has had just two outings in 2017, opening with a second at Doncaster in April.
Lining up for a five-runner handicap over a mile and threequarters at Newmarket the following month, Pat Cosgrave’s mount relished the soft conditions to beat Oriental Fox by two and a quarter lengths.
Saigon City will encounter similar terrain today and, despite a 5lb intervention from the handicapper, looks well up to getting involved. CRYSTAL OCEAN
Favourite should be hard to beat in the Qatar Gordon Stakes (3.00).
Sir Michael Stoute saddled the son of Sea The Stars to a comprehensive score in a Nottingham maiden in April, after which Crystal Ocean ran third to Permian in the Group 2 Dante Stakes at York.
Stoute then elected to miss the Derby, returning the colt for the Group 2 King Edward VII Stakes at Royal Ascot, in which my selection again took third behind the same Mark Johnston-trained colt.
A repeat of either of those runs will make Crystal Ocean, on whom Ryan Moore takes over from Andrea Atzeni, very hard to beat as he eases a notch in grade. SIX Richard Fahey’s STRINGS,
who has made the podium in big-money handicaps on both outings this term, looks sure to give another good account in the Stewards’ Sprint Handicap (1.50).
Second in a seven-furlong heat at Newmarket in June on his handicap debut, Six Strings came home strongly over six to take third in the Scottish Stewards’ Cup at Hamilton last time, and competes from the same rating here.
At Newmarket, Six Strings’ PARAMOUNT LOVE stablemate has plenty going for her as she makes her handicap debut in the nursery (2.40). The opener (2.05) can go to SINGYOURSONG,
who steps up to a mile and a half after a running-on second at this level over 10 furlongs at Nottingham on her latest outing.