Dave Nevison's three best bets for Friday: A star play at Sandown

Star Of Orion is in peak form and will be fresher than most of his rivals here, this just his fourth run since joining Eve Johnson Houghton. He ran really well last time out over this course and distance, in cheekpieces for the first time and he could well do even better here with the good to soft ground set to suit him very well. A strong pace is pretty much guaranteed which will also help Star Of Orion to show his best form and he is fancied to land a first win for his new yard here. 

There is no doubt this race will be run at a very fast pace given the number of habitual front runners in the field. I am hopeful this will set the race up for a closer here so I am going to try not to get too annoyed when I see Water Of Leith trailing the field early doors! 

The Jim Goldie-trained six-year-old seems to have run himself back into strong form this summer and won at Carlisle, under Amie Waugh, on his penultimate start. Last time he couldn’t get a run at all at Newcastle but hopefully the fast pace and open spaces of Town Moor will enable Water Of Leith will navigate his way through the field and at least hit the frame at a decent price. 

Tom Ward has his team in very good form at present and has had three winners in the last week from just six runners and that included a couple at big prices. Capote’s Dream has been beaten less than a length on his last two starts and got touched off by only a short head at Newbury last time out.

He was a very close up third at Epsom over seven furlongs so I am pretty sure the stiff six at Salisbury will suit him well. Capote’s Dream is well drawn in stall two and a slight change in headgear with cheekpieces replacing the visor might well refresh him, while the booking of Tom Marquand is also clearly a positive.