DOUBLE HANDFUL

THE one thing you can say with certainty about today’s Al Shaqab Lockinge Stakes is that it’s going to be a closely contested affair.

Fourteen go to post with 13 of those runners rated within 2lb of each other — even the horse rated the worst of the bunch (Billesden Brook) is a 1,000 Guineas winner.

Five of the field have at least one Group 1 victory to their name, while Karl Burke’s star filly Laurens has a staggering five.

Predictably, the favourite Le Brivido is a horse trained by Aidan O’Brien.

The five-year-old came only third at Naas last month but it was the manner in which he finished that was so impressive. After rearing up at the start he was flying home at the finish.

Considering Le Brivido was only beaten a short head in the French 2,000 Guineas two years ago and the fact he’s been trained by the master of Ballydoyle, it’s easy to see

why he’s attracting the money. But he looks bred for shorter than a mile and has yet to win over the distance. Only one of the last 10 winners can make that claim.

The horse who wins this race will have to show a lot of guts because there are going to be plenty with chances in the final two furlongs.

The one I fancy, BEAT THE BANK, has never landed a top-level victory.

But he demonstrated a great deal of grit when bagging the fourth Group 2 of his career when proving too strong for Sharja Bridge in the bet365 mile at Sandown last time. Andrew Balding’s five-year-old has never even made the frame in a Group 1 but don’t let that put you off.

He was desperately unlucky not to find a gap in running when coming home a fast-finishing sixth in the Queen Anne Stakes last year. He’s guaranteed to do two things — get the trip and fight to the finish.