Nick Luck’s blog: There’s a Star in the Gold Cup

We’re into day three of the Royal meeting, and the Norfolk Stakes looks a cracker to get us started before the main event in the Gold Cup.

Read on for Nick’s thoughts on all seven races from the second day.

WALBANK is taken to win at 7/4 in Thursday’s opener, the Norfolk Stakes (2.30pm). A fine second to this week’s most notable absentee, Noble Style, that form has already been handsomely boosted by excellent Coventry third Royal Scotsman. The selection then produced a strong performance on form and clock at York, and can enable his stable to go one better than last year.

POST IMPRESSIONIST is one of a whole clutch of potential big improvers at 5/1 in the King George V (3.05pm). William Haggas and Danny Tudhope looks a pretty potent combination at this fixture, and they’ve another live one between them here in the shape of a horse that clearly needs a step up to at least this distance on pedigree and who looks a very likeable prospect.

MUKADDAMAH is my fancy at 6/1 in a rather thin Ribblesdale (3.40pm). There are no confirmed superstars in here and, although the selection needs to find a few pounds on official ratings, she ran a very tidy race behind Nashwa and Stay Alert at Newbury, and I don’t think she needs a massive step forward from that.

MOJO STAR is a bit of a flyer at 16/1 in the Gold Cup (4.20pm). In truth, I have zero idea whether this horse will stay, or indeed whether he will be ready enough on his first run for ages, but this is a pure class play: there are very few horses in here who would be good enough to run second in a Derby, and not be beaten that far in an unsuitable Arc just weeks after another storming effort in the Leger. At his current odds, he is just too big.

MALEX gets the vote at 28/1 in the Britannia (5.00pm). This is clearly a very useful horse – you only need to see the level he ran on his debut to realise that – but he’s been really highly tried in a couple of starts since, including in the Irish Guineas. This is much more suitable, connections have sensibly dispensed with the blinkers, and there is a pedigree clue (as a half to the very smart Trais Fluors) that he can do a fair bit better and will go on better ground.

CRESTA is the value at 17/2 in the Hampton Court (5.35pm). Clearly this race revolves around Reach for the Moon, and he really should win, but his 2yo form has just had the gloss taken off it a bit, and with his training history, I’m not sure I want to be taking skinny odds. The selection is still progressive, settled much better in the hood at Chester and might just be made for Jamie Spencer.

STAR OF ORION can win at 25/1 in the Buckingham Palace (6.10pm). The handicapper has just started to cut him a fair bit of slack, but he was very unlucky not to win the International over course and distance on fast ground last summer, and is now just a pound higher. His comeback run here was fine considering he never really got into it, and I expect him to be primed now.