Anagram of slot machines — cash lost in em.

AFTER a veritable feast of high-class racing last week, it’s back to porridge with Newbury’s Group 3 Hackwood Stakes the best race of the day. The amount of statistics I’ve looked up on my phone regarding this contest have left me more confused than enlightened.

Incidentally, a recent study found that one in three adults check their phones in the middle of the night. The same survey found that these people are so obsessed with their phones they didn’t even realise three adults were in the same bed.

The one fact that is rather unsettling is that only one threeyear-old has won the Hackwood in the past 11 years, yet four of the top six in the betting are, you guessed it, three-year-olds.

Let’s start with the favourite, Equilateral, who has the best form of the 10 runners in the bank with a highly impressive win at Doncaster in May.

The only problem being Charlie Hills’ colt put in a very disappointing effort in the Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot last month and the yard is not exactly firing on all cylinders. Another fancied runner is Roger Charlton’s five-year-old Projection and this highlights the somewhat understrength field on show. Projection hasn’t got his head in front at the finish line since September...2015. That’s eight races without a win, surely connections — or anyone for that matter — can’t be too confident about their chances today.

The one I’ll be backing is BACCHUS, a four-year-old who won the Wokingham Stakes on his last start, foiling a massive gamble on John Gosden’s Dreamfield.

Bacchus showed great courage to stay on and fight past Dreamfield and, with Frankie Dettori on board, can frank that form with another victory today.