First Officer looks likely to improve further in the Knights Handicap at 2:50; Godolphin's Big Meeting also looks to have an excellent chance in the 4:36; watch every race from Ascot on Sky Sports Racing
Thursday 7 July 2022 16:57, UK
Sky Sports Racing ambassador Hollie Doyle bagged a German Group Three in Hamburg last weekend and heads to Ascot with a nice book on Friday.
FIRST OFFICER - one of five good chances I'm looking forward to at Ascot on Friday - has a great chance of maintaining his improvement in the Knights Handicap (2.50).
Roger Varian's son of Galileo got off the mark in the Bibury Cup at Salisbury, beating his two rivals comfortably enough over the same 12-furlong trip.
Although he resumes off a 3lb higher rating, he drops in grade and should enjoy racing in another small field.
Another lightly raced type from a top yard who is open to considerable improvement is Godolphin's BIG MEETING, who goes in search of his hat-trick in the Long Harbour Derek Lucie-Smith Handicap (4.36).
Saeed Bin Suroor's gelding has won both his starts on the All-Weather this year, including in similar grade at Lingfield Park last month when he looked in need of every yard of this trip.
The stiffer track should be in his favour this time and he's only up 3lb for that narrow success.
EMPEROR SPIRIT is a young sprinter on the up so it'll be interesting to see how he acquits himself in the Alvarium Handicap (5.11) at Ascot.
There was nothing wrong with his staying on second to smart handicapper Justanotherbottle on his return to turf at Ripon last month. He got within a length of the winner who smashed the track record that day.
I'm also hoping Charlie and Mark Johnston's Highclere filly FRAGRANCE can prove well handicapped on her nursery debut now she steps up to six furlongs. She was smart enough to win a Catterick maiden before struggling in conditions company last time but 77 looks a workable mark in the Signature Capital Nursery Handicap (2.15).
AL MARMAR returns from a lay-off in the Close Brothers Property Finance Handicap (3.25) with a point to prove after disappointing in the Esher Cup at Sandown back in the spring.
Andrew Balding has had him gelded since then and if that operation has had a positive effect this smart two-year-old still has the credentials to bounce back at three.
It was exciting to ride a Group Three winner on my first ever visit to Hamburg at the weekend but my luck deserted me in the big race, the German Derby.
I'm convinced I'd have finished much closer than mid-division if Markus Klug's filly Wagnis hadn't been wiped out when making her challenge at a crucial stage of the Group One.
Hollie Doyle was speaking to Sky Sports Racing's Simon Mapletoft
