Five horses to follow at York on Wednesday

Tipster: Alex Scott.

Best odds: 25-1 (each-way).

Tipster: Danny Archer.

Best odds: 15-8.

Tipster: Andy Stephens.

Best odds: 7-4.

Unraced at two, John Gosden acknowledged they campaigned him “tenderly” last year when he was unbeaten in four starts but kept to relatively shallow waters. 

This year, he has come of age, showing a dazzling turn of foot to win the Prince of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot before being touched off by Delacroix in the Coral-Eclipse just 13 days later, when things did not pan out ideally for him in what was a messy renewal. 

His performance at Ascot was out of the ordinary, with the RaceiQ sectionals making for glowing reading. 

He clocked 11.82sec in the final furlong, more than half a second quicker than the next quickest, Anmaat, who was runner-up. The rest, including third-placed See The Fire, were made to look as if they were standing still. 

The Time Index of the race was 9.3, when the meeting average was 7.8. It did not matter his top speed of 39.33mph was the slowest of the bunch; he was just consistently quicker throughout, especially in those last two furlongs, which he completed in 35.77sec. 

Sandown was something of a chapter of accidents for him, from the moment he pinged the gates and was fastest to 20mph. That left William Buick tussling with him in the early stages, with a slowish gallop and wide trip compounding problems. In the first half mile, he occupied various places, when his connections would have no doubt been hoping he could again get settled in a stalking position to utilise his acceleration. 

Ombudsmen’s speed was still evident, and he traded long odds-on, but the door was ajar for Delacroix to pounce on him. 

The Night Of Thunder colt has had 46 days to catch his breath this time and this time has the luxury of a pacemaker. That looks a shrewd bit of forward thinking as, otherwise, another muddling gallop could have been on the cards. 

Tipster: Dave Nevison.

Best odds: 28-1.

A line can be put through Maghlaak’s Shergar Cup run last week as he was simply left too far out of his ground under a moderate ride. He finished a good second in a hot handicap hurdle at Market Rasen prior to that, and if converting that form to the flat, he may have a better chance than his chunky odds suggest (he's 28-1, at the time of writing). 

This trip is, as of yet, unproven on the flat, but I believe it is the way to go with this well-bred six-year-old, and it may actually bring about improvement as he certainly hinted he might be a stayer in his younger days. 

The selection has run some good races at this track and his trainer, Adrian Keatley, has his string in very good form, with four winners from his past ten runners before the start of this meeting. There also four places available with some bookmakers here. 

Tipster: Ross Millar. 

Best odds: 11-1.

I think a return to six furlongs, and a return to York, can see First Legion get back to winning ways. 

I believe he did well to make a winning debut over this course and distance in May when having to come from behind a wall of horses, and having to extricate himself from a blind pocket, meaning plenty of his rivals got first run on him. 

He eventually won with a degree of ease and ran powerfully through the line. I was therefore surprised that he was dropped to five furlongs for his next three starts, and he produced his best effort from those three outings when a fast-finishing second in the Star Sports National Stakes at Sandown where he again found himself short of racing room at a crucial time. 

He’s not matched those efforts since, but on the balance of his form, a rating of 94 does not look unreasonable for his handicap debut.