In-form trainers queuing up to take on exciting Lion's Pride in trappy Listed affair at Sandown

Kieran Shoemark has been at the centre of attention riding for John and Thady Gosden lately and he will be again on this race's favourite Lion's Pride.

The unexposed four-year-old hasn't been seen since April but that third in the Magnolia Stakes now looks better than the race's Listed status would suggest.

The winner, Dubai Honour, landed the Group 1 Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud on Sunday, while the second, Okeechobee, won the Group 3 Gordon Richards Stakes on his next start. Lion's Pride was giving the pair 3lb.

His official rating of 109 puts him on a par with last year's winner Savvy Victory, who bettered last year's 30-length last in the Wolferton with a 40-1 fourth on his seasonal reappearance in that race after a gelding operation, but Lion's Pride arguably has more scope for improvement.

Savvy Victory: runs in the Gala StakesCredit: Mark Cranham

Checkandchallenge was two places behind Savvy Victory at Ascot and is 3lb better off now, and he represents one of three trainers in the race operating at a 30 per cent or higher strike-rate in the last fortnight in William Knight (33 per cent). 

The others are William Haggas (30 per cent), who runs the eyecatching Epsom third Al Mubhir, and Simon and Ed Crisford, (38 per cent) who field the Wolferton tenth Knight.

A return to the form of his seasonal debut fourth could see the enigmatic Regal Reality match his second in this race in 2022, while the surprise package might be the ex-Ballydoyle inmate Prague, who made light work of a maiden over this course and distance on his debut for Dylan Cunha last month.
Race analysis by Maddy Playle

Going update

The going is good, good to firm in places with clerk of the course Andrew Cooper faced with an uncertain forecast. 

"We completed our irrigation programme on Wednesday morning and then left the track alone," he said at Thursday lunchtime. "The potential for rain on Friday and Saturday started firming up a bit. It's dry, sunny and breezy today, which will dry things a bit. 

"From 5am on Friday morning it looks as if we're going to have a system coming from the west and introducing outbreaks of rain from daybreak. There's not absolute confidence in terms of volumes and it doesn't look like it's going to be persistent rain. The Met Office is suggesting 2-3mm but others say more."

What they say

William Haggas, trainer of Al Mubhir
He's been a bit disappointing over a mile, so we're going to try him at a mile and a quarter and ride him a bit differently and see what happens.

William Knight, trainer of Checkandchallenge
We don't have the penalty to carry now and he's bounced out of the Ascot race in good nick. It looks a winnable enough race and any bit of rain will help him. He likes the track and I think he'll go very close.

William Knight: trainer of Checkandchallenge

Thady Gosden, joint-trainer of Lion's Pride
He's trained well into the race since his seasonal debut over the same trip at Kempton. It's a competitive renewal but he'll enjoy the stiffer ten furlongs at Sandown.

James Savage, assistant to Sir Michael Stoute, trainer of Regal Reality
The ground at Epsom was a bit tacky for him last time but other than that he's been very consistent. His form at Sandown has always been very competitive and the drier the ground the better for him.

Sean Woods, trainer of Savvy Victory
He'd been off for a long time and everything had gone well into the Wolferton and he ran very well. It's a nice position to be in as he'd had 265 days off and he'd been gelded. He's done well since then. We're hoping for a bit of rain and any cut is a big help for him. He's trained well and it's a bonus that he has Danny Tudhope back on.
Reporting by Maddy Playle

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