Goldspur can make Derby waves
Charlie Appleby has ruled the roost this season and in Goldspur he could have another colt to look forward to next term.
Native Trail is the top juvenileat Moult on Paddocks so far this year and while winning the Cazoo Derby 'Wild Card' EBF Conditions Stakes at Epsom will certainly not prop el Gold spur past his stable mate, it will mark him as a potential Classic contender next term.
The winner of this extended mile heat gains an entry for the Derby – and Goldspur is certainly bred to mixing in those kind of circles as a son of Dubawi out of Pomology, who was a Lancashire Oaks winner for John Gosden back in 2014 and only narrowly missed out in that year's Prix Vermeille.
Goldspur obviously has a long way to go to match those kind of achievements, but his debut outing attracted plenty of attention, cantering home by six and a half lengths over a mile at Sandown on easy ground.
Conditions are unlikely to be as testing at Epsom, but Goldspur did not look in need of soft ground in Esher and his 33-1 price tag for the Derby might be clipped a bit for the big one, as this is not a bad race at all, even with just five runners.
Thecurrently-unstoppable Apple by team should also be on the mark with Neptune Sea sin the Shanly Homes Handicap.
He took three attempts to get off the mark, eventually opening his account in a Nottingham novice event on his latest outing last month.
Neptune Seas appeared to appreciate dropping back in distance from 12 furlongs on that occasion, making all and keeping on strongly to suggest there is a bit more to come yet. An opening mark of 85 is tough, but not insurmountable.
Galileo Glass has been a fine advertisement for Darryll Holland in his first season as a trainer and a third win of the year in the JohnSut cliff e Nursery Handicap would be the icing on the cake.
An £18,000 breeze-up purchase, the Galileo Gold colt could not make a mark in his first three starts but came of age when moved to handicap company at the end of July.
His three-quarter-length verdict at Doncaster hinted at more improvement to come, an impression that has been confirmed by a subsequent second a last-time-out win at Thirsk.
Attempting a mile for the first time, Galileo Glass just hung on by a neck in thrilling finish and moving back to seven furlongs here should not be too much of an issue.
Patient Dream can make it an Epsom double in the Go Epsom Handicap.
He has won three of his five starts this campaign, opening with a win here in April before adding a Windsor victory in June and another on the Downs last month. The neck verdict that day limited the handicapper's scope and a 3lb rise should not stop him.