Jamie Spencer: “You can easily make a case for him going well in a very competitive race”

York

1.55pm

Marnie James

He looks pretty interesting on his first start for new connections. Jedd is having a great season and his horses continue in very good form, and Marnie James has joined him after being bought for £75,000 at the sales recently. So he clearly hasn’t had him long. But he has been dropped to a mark of 100 after running below-par on his last three starts, and that makes him a well-handicapped horse if he can get back on track. He is already 4lb lower then when a close third in a big field here in May – and he has won at this course, too – and 5f on decent ground look to be his ideal conditions. He could go well, but it is a 22-runner sprint handicap.

4.15pm

Sleeping Lion

I rode him a couple of times when he was placed earlier in the season and he looks to have proved his stamina when second at Ascot over 2m last time. The handicapper has probably been a touch on the harsh side by raising him 2lb for that run, but he is a relatively lightly-raced 4yo and he is clearly unexposed at this trip, so you can easily make a case for him going well in a very competitive race.

4.50pm

Stone Circle

I rode him on his debut at Windsor earlier in the season and he has come forward on every start since, following up his Doncaster novice win with a good fourth in a 7f Goodwood nursery last time. The handicapper has upped him 4lb for that run, which looks plenty enough on the face of it, but he is a progressive colt and hopefully there is more to come from him. I think he has enough pace to deal with the step back to 6f, and you would expect a strongly-run race in here, anyway.