King's Stand Stakes, 3.40 Tuesday
Henry Candy's gelding filled the runner-up spot in this event last year when behind Nature Strip and was probably unlucky not to be challenging for the same position this time around.
The five-year-old disappointed when well beaten in the Group 2 Temple Stakes at Haydock in May but looked right back to his best at Ascot last week. He travelled strongly towards the rear of the field and looked to be coming with a sizeable challenge when denied a clear passage at the furlong marker.
He ran on nicely without being given an overly hard time under Ryan Moore once in the clear and shaped better than his finishing position back in fourth. It's hard to know whether he would have troubled the front pair, but he would have almost certainly grabbed the bronze medal spot and I expect him to go close if conditions fall right in one of the major sprints later in the season.
Yerwanthere
Kensington Palace Fillies' Handicap, 3:05 Wednesday
Joseph O'Brien saddled a trio of runners in the Kensington Palace Fillies' Handicap on Wednesday and the well-backed Yerwanthere looked unfortunate not to go close.
The lightly-raced four-year-old returned to action with a luckless seventh in the Listed Owenstown Stud Stakes at Naas in May and suffered a similar fate on Wednesday at Royal Ascot when back in handicap company.
Although on paper stall ten wouldn't have been a disaster, James Mcdonald struggled to hold an early pitch and found himself forced wide further back than he would have liked. It was a rough contest in the early parts of the race and his filly was inclined to over-race without cover for much of the contest. James McDonald began to wind his filly up rounding the final bend, but the pair soon found their ground taken entering the home straight and she suffered a somewhat troubled passage all the way up the straight. The daughter of Markaz ran on nicely once in the clear inside the final furlong to grab fifth and clocked an impressive final sectional time bettered only by the winner.
That was just her fourth career outing and there should be plenty more to come from her this season. A more truly run contest over a stiff mile ought to be right up her street and it's tough to see her not finishing the season racing off higher than her current mark of 93.
Perfuse
King George V Stakes, 3:05 Thursday
It's hardly surprising it often pays to follow the King George V Stakes form throughout the season given it's a race littered with interesting unexposed three-year-old handicappers.
As so often is the case, this year's renewal was run at a frantic gallop, and it was absolutely impossible to play a role in the finish if positioned anywhere near the front end.
The early sectionals were nothing short of remarkable for a contest run over twelve furlongs and anything that was positioned prominently can be given another chance or upgraded. The winner, second, third and fourth-placed horses all came from midfield or worse with the runner-up positioned further forwards than any of those four rivals.
It's the fifth-placed horse that deserves the plaudits in my opinion with the Sir Michael Stoute-trained Perfuse running a blinder having sat far too close to the early speed. The son of Lope De Vega readily landed a twelve-furlong Doncaster novice event on his third outing and looked the winner turning for home on his handicap debut in the King George V Stakes on Thursday. He still led the field entering the final two furlongs despite chasing that frantic early gallop and the fact he was only beaten six lengths at the line shows a testament to his raw ability.
A mark of 94 will likely underestimate him going forwards this season and he would need to be of serious interest wherever he turned up next time around.
