Nicol's notes: Notebook horses, eyecatchers and a Saturday nap

We are really shifting through the gears now in terms of the Flat season, with Classic racing at The Curragh last weekend and the Epsom Derby Festival in the days ahead.

We’re getting to the part of the season where most horses have had a race or two and early form lines are starting to build substance and hopefully we can identify some horses who can pay their way throughout the summer.

We’re best off starting with my horses to follow for the 2023 season and some initial reaction to the early part of the campaign.

Military Order was the headline selection at the time, put forward as the Derby winner, and the Frankel colt heads to Epsom with leading claims for the Charlie Appleby team.

He’s 2-2 so far this term, doing little more than proving his well-being on reappearance at Newbury (watch above), although he did beat some useful horses in second and third, before building on that with a straightforward victory in the Lingfield Derby Trial.

I liked the way he asserted from Waipiro inside the final furlong last time out and he’s done nothing wrong to date. The form of the Appleby string is a bit of a concern but they are still sending out winners and hopes are high that he can emulate his brother with victory in the Epsom showpiece.

Overall, the list is 4-12 so far this year, with Al Husn and Honiton adding to Military Order’s aforementioned victories. The former was impressive in winning at Ayr last week (watch above) and I’d be confident she can add a Group victory to her CV before the season’s end, possibly even at the highest level.

Embrace has been thrown in at the deep end in two starts so far this season (Fred Darling & 1000 Guineas) but I’m confident she can resume winning ways when reverted to calmer waters. She’s been handed a mark of 95 for her efforts so far and the logical race for her in the immediate future is the Sandringham Stakes at Royal Ascot. She has a touch of class and I certainly wouldn’t lose faith in her just yet.

Keep an eye out for Circle Of Fire and Honiton at the Royal Meeting as well.

There’s been lots to unpick throughout May and my Racing TV Tracker is bulging with recent additions from the last 31 days.

Below is my pick of the action over the last month:

There have been plenty of taking juvenile performances throughout May, namely Asadna, River Tiber and particularly Elite Status, but I think this fellow may have snuck under the radar.

It was interesting to see very late money for the colt on debut at Goodwood and he duly put up a smart performance as the homebred son of Starspangledbanner cruised to a four-and-a-half length victory and doing so despite shifting to his left and obvious signs of greenness.

The winning time backs up the visual impression as he was only 0.43 seconds outside of Royal Scotsman’s 2022 track record, with the Cole horse doing so on a quicker surface and on his fourth career start. The fact Barnwell Boy clocked in on racecourse introduction and with Oisin Murphy merely pushing him out suggests that Johnston has a high-class juvenile on his hands.

I’d imagine the Coventry is the logical target from here and I think quotes of a general 25/1 somewhat underestimate the performance he has produced here.

Punters in the Sydney Arms, home of the Chelsea Thoroughbreds, owners of Chelsea Square, may baulk at the price of the Guinness (£7.25) but they won’t have had any complaints after their gelding ran a stormer at 20/1 on debut at Newbury a few weeks ago.

The gelding was far too keen under Hector Crouch with the pair unable to find any cover in the first half of the race and exerting plenty of energy in the process.

The race then developed away from the three-year-old as Good Karma and Resolute Man (two previous winners) stole first run on the pair, but, to his credit, he stuck on admirably and defied his inexperience to hunt down Resolute Man and go down by a length-and-a-half in second position at the line.

He’s back at out at Chepstow on Friday and he should take all the beating granted natural improvement.

Your Sandringham winner? [I thought that was Embrace? - Ed]

This filly ran a huge race at The Curragh last week (see above). Racing off a sedate gallop in rear, she travelled smoothly into proceedings under Jamie Powell but was bumped at a vital stage approaching the furlong pole and only just failed to get up as they passed the line.

Clounmacon still looked a little green as she hit top gear, with this being just her sixth career start, but I think she’s a well-handicapped filly off an Irish mark of 94. Johnny Murtagh won the very same Curragh contest with Create Belief on the way to Sandringham glory back in 2021 and I’d be astounded if he hasn’t already dusted off the top hat in preparation for this year’s renewal.

The stiff straight Ascot mile on the Straight looks tailormade for this daughter of Kodi Bear and she must go there with a huge chance - I think she’ll be a decent price to boot.

The writing was on the wall early on for Coco Jack at York (see above) last time out.

Squeezed out of the stalls, he was shuffled back early on and faced further interference soon after as Neil Callan, aboard Catch The Paddy, cut him off at the bend, which lit up this three-year-old under Benoit De La Sayette.

All of that likely told at the business end as he was unable to ever land a blow from off the pace, but he plugged on under pressure and shaped like a return to further would be in his favour.

Indeed, he is declared over nine furlongs this Saturday in the valuable Edinburgh Cup and that trip should be within his compass around a speed track like Musselburgh. I’m hoping that connections revert to the prominent tactics which proved successful for him as a juvenile last season.

Dropped 2lb for York, he is now off a mark of 90, his last winning mark, and I’m certain it won’t be long until he returns to the winner's enclosure.

Jumbly was the obvious one to take from the Group 2 Lanwades Stud Stakes last weekend.

She was a shade keen in the early stages, her first start for 309 days, with Ryan Moore unable to drop his hands until around the halfway stage. From there, she was angled out but unable to reel in the race-fit Just Beautiful who had the run of the race on the front end.

Moore used the stick only once, realising the bird had flown in good time and looking after his filly inside the final furlong with the view of better days ahead. Those days are hopefully soon enough and she’d be my leading fancy for the Group 2 Duke Of Cambridge Stakes at Royal Ascot in a few weeks.

Jumbly already has an Ascot success (albeit on the Round Course) to her name and could have further improvement to come as a four-year-old and with the switch to Joseph O’Brien. She was left in the aforementioned Duke Of Cambridge on Tuesday and quotes of 10/1 are more than fair.

It’s clear that Naqeeb will not emulate his illustriuous half-brothers Baaeed and Hukum and develop into a Group 1 animal but what he has done in two starts is show that he possesses enough ability to win races and I think he could develop into a useful staying prospect in time.

The soft ground looked to be against him on debut at Leicester but he built on that with a nice effort at Newbury a few weeks ago, staying on strongly and faring best of those trying to reel in the runaway winner, Nothing To Sea, who dictated throughout.

He should be able to pick up an average maiden/novice next time out and that will see him given a handicap mark and it is from there in which he will be of most interest, certainly this season anyway. He’d command a mark in the low 80s to my eye at present and I think there’s substantial improvement to come when stepping up to 12 furlongs and potentially further.

William Haggas won last year’s Melrose Handicap at York with Soulcombe and Naqeeb could be just the type to relish such a test.

If there is any horse from this list that you must add to your Racing TV Tracker then it is absolutely this horse!

Just take a moment now to watch his debut run above in full before continuing as I very much doubt we will see a horse run with such promise in defeat throughout the entire season.

Breaking smartly enough, he soon found himself relegated to joint-last through the early stages and into the straight, but it was from there where he really impressed. The colt eased past rivals on the far-side rail under hand riding before switching deep inside the final furlong to just miss out on second at the line.

Without seeing the whip, he clocked the fastest final furlong in a time roughly two lengths quicker than the next fastest (Deepone – the eventual winner).

Spanish Flame returned on Thursday afternoon and put in a pleasing display when winning by six lengths at Roscommon. He was entitled to so at odds of 8/13 but it was notable that Colin Keane didn't mind racing wide throughout and it was clear that he knew he was on the best horse in the race. It's a shame that he doesn't qualify for the Chesham Stakes, as the seven furlong contest would be tailormade for him, but I’d say Lyons won’t be waiting around too long before moving this lad into Stakes company.

Still quite green, he has lots more improvement yet to come and is a hugely-exciting prospect for first season sire, Phoenix Of Spain.

The Darley Novices Stakes at Haydock in late-April looks a red-hot piece of form, with the front three all above average and it is sure to be a line worth following in the months ahead.

Debut winner Gregory (now rated 110) has since followed up with Listed success in the Cocket Hat at Goodwood and is seemingly on the the St Leger trail, but it is the second and third who are of most interest going forward.

Knockbrex was denied a clear run when conceding 6lb to the winner at Haydock and things didn’t go to plan on his only subsequent outing when far too keen at the Dante Meeting, fading inside the final furlong having looked like he was going to gallop to a resounding victory. Rated 90, he heads to Royal Ascot with a huge chance in the King George V Stakes Handicap.

If Not Now, third at Haydock, won impressively when dropping in trip at Sandown 17 days later. Forging clear to an impressive success, the Beckett colt is another King George V Stakes possible from a mark of 97, but he could well stay at 10 furlongs with the Golden Gates and/or Hampton Court Stakes making lots of sense.

Probe has been a revelation since switching to join Jennie Candlish and he can continue his upward progression by taking the closing six-furlong JRA Tokyo Trophy at Epsom on Saturday.

The five-year-old was penalised 7lb for his impressive victory at Newmarket last time out but I don’t think we’re quite at his ceiling just yet from a revised mark of 97.

He could be a class apart here, for all he needs to be delivered late, so Lewis Edmunds will need to hold his nerve, but the Kingman gelding has a good draw in stall 4 and he can take this on the way to running in the Wokingham in a few weeks’ time.