ARQ007

Karl Burke's 3yo Starman filly returned to form with an emphatic bang LTO when sent back sprinting at Haydock in the Group 2 Sandy Lane, having previously failed to stay 1m in the 1,000 Guineas. From stall 13, Clifford Lee has options. She gets allowance all round and should be bang there.

You would really expect Navarro (ranked 25) to win this one. The 25-year-old American has a game much more suited to the fast grass courts, and that's reflected in her 18??"6 record on the green stuff over the past three years. Her 23-year-old Spanish opponent, Bouzas Maneiro (ranked 55), has just a 7??"5 record on turf in the same span. Navarro has beaten two solid grass-court players in her first two matches here, while Bouzas Maneiro was rather fortunate that her opponent, Volynets, had to retire.

I have great respect for ADF (ranked 22), but the 27-year-old Spaniard has not got the greatest record on grass (7-4 in the past 3 seasons) and an even worse H2H vs Paul (ranked 28), as he is 0-5 against the 29-year-old American. Those were all on hard courts, but the fast conditions here on grass at Queens are to the American's liking, as he won the title here on his last visit in 2024 and reached the QFs in 2022. ADF is just 7-8 career on grass vs top-50 opponents, and I think Paul is very motivated here.

Ralph Beckett's 4-year-old Too Darn Hot colt looked a really smart type when running away with a Newbury novice stakes in October 2024, after a good runner-up run on debut at Sandown. If he retains any of that ability (and given he's still in training and an entire, there's no reason to believe he doesn't), he should go close here.

The selection has the profile of a typical Sir Mark Prescott improver and is fancied to make a winning handicap debut. The son of Japan fetched €140,000 as a yearling but failed to make any return in a trio of juvenile appearances. However, he's a half-brother to German Oaks heroine Miss Yoda and looks sure to prove better than an opening mark of 60, especially now sent over a more suitable trip.