Jamie Spencer: There is little doubt that he is a 3yo on the up
Chief Ironside
He was very impressive when winning his maiden at Chester and finished a good third in the London Gold Cup to Communique and Poet’s Prince – that pair re-oppose here but didn’t run too well last time – but he took a big step forward when winning a decent 0-100 over course and distance last time. A 7lb rise is probably as much as he could have got, but there is little doubt that he is a 3yo on the up and everything looks in place for him to run another big race, for all this valuable handicap predictably has a bit more depth to it. That said, it did cut up a lot at the overnight stage, as there were 23 in it on Monday.
Shraaoh
He ran a very encouraging fourth on his debut for Harry on the Rowley course in May and confirmed that promise when winning in good style for me at Goodwood last time. He has been upped 4lb, which puts him on a career-high mark, but he is a relatively lightly-raced 5yo and I think there is more to come from him. He lost his way a bit at the end of last season but seems in great order physically and is in peak form at present, and he can rate higher with trip and ground to suit again.
Court Of Justice
I rode him on his first two starts, over 7f at Ascot on his debut and over 1m2f at Chelmsford on his reappearance, and he got off the mark when stepped down to a mile in a Beverley maiden last time. Even though he was odds-on, it was probably a decent enough race and he won it easily, so a mark of 86 is probably fair enough, on what he has achieved to date. He meets far more experienced horses here but obviously he is unexposed and capable of progressing up the handicap ranks. He’s a decent horse, I think.
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