Lock in Parole for Lockinge

Without Parole can bounce back to his very best form by winning t oday’s Al Shaqab Lockinge Stakes at Newbury.

The John Gosden- trained colt had a tremendous first half to the 2018 campaign, winning his first three races, culminating in the Group One St James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot.

That was as good as it got, though, and nothing went right after that. He only beat one home in the Sussex Stakes at Glorious Goodwood after unusually making a lot of the running. He found the extended ten furlongs too far when sixth in the Juddmonte International before not running too badly when sixth in the Prix du Moulin at Longchamp.

Without Parole showed signs on his reappearance i n t he Dubai Turf, over nine furlongs at Meydan, that he was coming back to himself.

Laurens is the obvious danger, but she too has questions to answer after being well beaten in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot in October.

The Gosden stable has several fillies with Classic aspirations, and Star Catcher can stake her claim for the Investec Oaks by beating other highly- promising sorts in the Haras de Bouquetot Fillies’ Trial Stakes.

This half- sister to Group- race winner Cannock Chase stepped up considerably on her debut at Chelmsford in December when storming home by four and a half lengths in a maiden over this mile and a quarter.

Crystal Ocean got his 2019 c a mpai g n o f f t o t h e b e s t possible start in the Gordon Richards Stakes at Sandown and can double up in the Al Rayyan Stakes, better known as the Aston Park.

Sir Michael Stoute’s five- yearold was second to the likes of Enable and Cracksman last term and faces nothing of that calibre in this Group Three.

Stoute can also strike with Solid Stone in the Al Zubarah London Gold Cup Handicap.

The son of Shamardal relished the step up from seven to ten furlongs when making a winning reappearance at Newmarket last month and could still be ahead of the assessor.