The opening maiden on the card at Beverley can go the way of Keith Dalgleish's Beltane on his third start. His debut third at Carlisle (6f, good to soft) was a fair effort, given his SP of 16/1, and he built on that this month when runner-up at Catterick (7f, good) behind long odds-on favourite Sweeping from the Archie Watson team. He didn't lay a blow on the jolly, but he pulled more than four lengths clear of everything else and he sets a decent standard on that showing. It can be a case of 3-2-1 for Callum Rodriguez's mount now.
The Glorious Goodwood nursery in which Catch Cunningham ran last month was much stronger than this one. Kevin Ryan's Kodiac colt did plenty in front there and faded late on over 6f. His previous all-weather win at Newcastle came over this 5f trip and returning to the minimum distance should be in his favour. He takes a class-drop as well and, while the likes of Barging Thru, Come Quick and Golden Duke are all respected, the 7lb claim of Oisin McSweeney could be telling here.
Top-weight Arctic Emperor had a next-time-out winner behind in third when taking a silver medal home from Sandown earlier this month and, from an unchanged mark, is a threat to all now but preference is for Casilli. The filly, like the forecast market leader, is seeking win number four of the season and she was better than ever when getting up in the dying strides over C&D 18 days ago under Joanna Mason. They may not be done yet.
He's now 0-14 but Roger Fell's contender Iron Sheriff has knocked on the door this season. He started with a brace of runner-up finishes at Carlisle and Windsor over a mile in May/June and, after lesser efforts here and at Thirsk, caught the eye tacking this extended trip for the first time over C&D earlier in the month. He was repeatedly denied racing room at crucial stages before coming home well to take fourth spot. He's 2lb lower and racing in a lower grade now and looks a leading contender granted a clear passage this time.
The two big days at Beverley see the sprinters take centre stage, with the 5f Beverley Bullet and Hilary Needler Trophy seeing the speedsters on show in East Riding of Yorkshire. It’s arguably the venue with the most pronounced draw bias in the country, with low numbers holding all the aces in the shortest races on the calendar.
Beverley is a fairly sharp track, right-handed, with a steady climb to the line from the final turn. Prominent racers who get into a rhythm are often hard to catch.
