Nick Luck’s blog: Max a Great bet at HQ

They call it ‘Super Saturday’ and it promises to be a cracker with cracking action at Newmarket, York and Ascot.

Here are Nick Luck’s selections.

Newmarket

STAR OF EMARAATY is worth chancing at 18/1 in the Newmarket opener (2.05pm). A smart performer last year for Kevin Ryan, she has been very highly tried by the Gosdens, but she’s in calmer waters now, has Frankie Dettori back aboard for the first time since a solid run in the Nell Gwyn, will prefer this ground, and looks well drawn.

TITAN ROCK gets a narrow vote in the mile handicap (2.40pm) at 12/1. Quite a taking winner at Glorious Goodwood last year, he looked a horse with pattern class potential, but slightly marked time before storming back to form at Redcar last time. He appeared to enjoy being ridden with a bit more restraint that day and, with Oisin Murphy booked, can follow up for his in form yard.

GREAT MAX is quite a confident choice at 11/2 in the Superlative Stakes (3.15pm). Considering he didn’t really like the ground and came from a pretty unpromising position, I thought he ran very well in the Chesham at Royal Ascot, particularly as he was backing up so quickly after his debut. Conditions here should be spot-on and he remains a colt of significant potential.

BOARDMAN is given another chance after a rather lacklustre effort at Ascot to show he’s a pattern class horse in the Bunbury Cup (3.50pm). He could hardly have been more impressive at York and Chester in races that worked out really well, but he was on the wrong side at Ascot and the race got away from him. He showed enough class in the mid part of that to think he was still in good heart and can make amends at 14/1.

CREATIVE FORCE is the speculative choice in an enthralling but devilishly difficult July Cup (4.25pm). I was deeply impressed with his effort in the Jersey Stakes, but feel that sprinting is his game. Although his last two wins have come with cut in the ground, he has won three times over on the Rowley Mile on fast, so should be okay on that score, too. He is arguably improving as rapidly as the other key three-year-olds in the race, but is a slightly bigger price at 15/2 and gets a narrow vote.

York

AJYAALL is an unoriginal pick in the TV opener at York (1.45pm) but is lightly raced and progressive and should appreciate a slightly sounder surface than when a beaten favourite here on his seasonal debut. His Wolverhampton win suggests he remains very fairly treated off 90 and looks sure to go well at 7/1.

FUJAIRA PRINCE might be able to take the Silver Cup (2.20pm) on his eagerly awaited reappearance at 9/2. I don’t have his market rival Hukum down as an obvious candidate for 14 furlongs, and Fujaira Prince was really striking when winning the Ebor here under these conditions last year. This looks the right spot for him.

SURREY PRIDE could be the answer to the John Smith’s Cup (4.05pm) at 8/1. I loved his victory over Makram (form well boosted) here at the Dante Festival, he looks to have been kept nicely under wraps for this, and his good stable has its horses running well.

MOSS GILL has quite strong claims of landing the City Walls (4.40pm) at 9/2. He loves it here, and there’s every chance his stalk-and-pounce style will be well suited to this race: Que Amoro and Winter Power (along with El Astronaute) should blast away and set things up nicely for him, and he seemed to respond well to the cheekpieces the running a blinder behind Kings Lynn at Haydock.

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