DOUBLE HANDFUL

THE weekend before Royal Ascot is always about boosting the coffers, or in my case getting some coffers. At the moment I can barely afford a coffee. The good news is that I’ve consolidated all my debts into one payment. At least now I’m paying all my bills except one.

I’m hoping to ease my financial predicament by backing the winner in the Randox Health Scurry Stakes at Sandown in what looks the highlight of a good card.

Charlie Hills’ Battaash scooted clear of the field to win this race in devastating style 12 months ago and the trainer has a great chance of taking this year’s renewal with SPOOF.

Spoof is a decent horse and — I seem to recall — a dangerous drinking game I played in my younger days. Back in those days there was no social media. You had to go to a bar, buy endless drinks, make a fool of yourself and be ignored by multiple women. Hills’ three-year-old won at Chester last time out on good ground over today’s five-furlong trip and has had two placed runs at Sandown to his name — a third in April and the victory last year.

I prefer his chances over Mokaatil, who hasn’t backed up the promise he showed when he was fourth in the Windsor Castle Stakes at Royal Ascot on just his second start.

He was third in the Group 3 Cornwallis Stakes at Newmarket in October before finishing way down the field in ninth at York last month.

One of the trends worth taking note of in this race is the winner typically has finished in the first four last time out.

That’s something half of today’s 10-runner field haven’t managed to achieve (Haddad, Mokaatil, Sound And Silence, Rock On Baileys and Denham).

Indeed, another two horses — outsiders Trickys Spirit and Wings Of The Rock — just finished in fourth place and I can’t see either of those two figuring in the finish this afternoon.