Aidan O’Brien’s Il Paradiso – a close third behind Stradivarius in the Lonsdale Cup last week – was reported yesterday to be on course for a crack at the St Leger the final classic of the season. The colt is now 6/1 second favourite at BetVictor with the unbeaten Logician 5/4 market leader.

They race at Sandown Park this afternoon and in the opening nursery I felt Queen Aya (2.10) ran a better race than her finishing position would suggest at Newbury last time – good to soft – when she was carried across the course having helped force a pace that collapsed late on.

John Gosden’s Reeth has won his last couple, but they have both been on Kempton’s polytrack surface and he must prove he is as effective on turf as he is on an artificial surface. Be More needs soft ground to be seen at her best and I think the Mile Handicap is best left to the top weights Lyndon B (3.50) and Marhaban with preference for the George Scott three-year-old.

The selection has been raised 1lb for finishing third at Glorious Goodwood dropped back to 7f. This return to a mile will suit and James Doyle returns to the plate having ridden the gelding to victory at Leicester in a first-time visor on his penultimate start.

Skyman has never encountered good or faster ground on turf, but I am convinced there is a race to be won with Roger Charlton’s three-year-old in the autumn. Dargel looks ready for a step up to 10f but will need to improve and the vote goes to Chris Wall’s hat-trick seeking The Corporal (4.25) who has improved for the combination of 10f and fast ground of late. He has been raised 8lbs for scoring at Yarmouth last time and will, thus, need a career best this afternoon.

The filly Geranium (5.00) has won her last two and would be carrying 6lbs more if this afternoon’s race were to be run 24 hours later. Michael Bell’s Geetanjali goes unpenalized for winning an apprentice race earlier in the week and is a big danger having won her only start over C&D from only a 5lbs lower mark.

I was disappointed with Albanita’s finishing effort at Yarmouth last time despite meeting trouble in running and she may have trouble getting home over tonight’s stiff extended mile-and-a-half at Newcastle. Note Sir Mark Prescott fits his filly with a first-time visor this evening.

Monica Sheriff (6.15) has won two of her three starts and makes her handicap debut for William Haggas. She hardly looks thrown in for her handicap debut, but she is open to further improvement and can land her hat-trick.

It is well documented that John Gosden likes to run some of his best horses at Gosforth Park first time out and I’m looking forward to seeing the racecourse debut of his Golden Horn colt Cape Palace (7.45).

The selection holds an entry in the Dewhurst over 7f at Newmarket in October and this looks an ideal starting point for a colt who cost 300,000gns as a foal.

At Bangor Royal Reserve (4.05) was beaten less than a length over C&D last time and has won from his current mark previously. He makes the long journey south from Scotland for Lucinda Russell and I hope his conditional jockey does not get caught too far out of his ground.

There is a good card at the Curragh this evening and Goddess (6.20) returned to her best when scoring at Gowran Park in listed company last time for Aidan O’Brien who has three of dozen fillies going to post. She is well drawn in stall three although, at the time of writing, jockey arrangements for the trio are not known.

At Hamilton I’m going to give Guardia Sverizza (8.00) another chance in his first-time cheek-pieces for Roger Fell and Ben Curtis. The selection was short of room at a vital stage at Beverley last time and I hope it is significant that he won this corresponding race 12 months ago from a 9lbs higher mark.

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