The Lost Sock: hear from Roger Varian ahead of Saturday's race

The Lost Sock has been declared to run at Thirsk on Saturday over five furlongs in the Stirrup Bar For Deli-Style Dining Packages Handicap. The Racing TV and RaceShare syndicate horse ran a race full of promise on his return to the minimum trip last time on the all-weather and makes his first start on turf since scoring at Catterick last summer.

The son of Cotai Glory, who will again be partnered by Callum Rodriguez, will face 13 rivals and has been drawn in stall four. Racing off the same mark of 83, he takes on a competitive field of three-year-olds and the going is described as 'good' at the time of writing.

Speaking at Newmarket on Thursday, his trainer Roger Varian said: "It was a good run last time at Wolverhampton. He probably didn't get the run of the race, but he did it the right way round and was more professional [than his first run of the season at Kempton].

"He ran well at Thirsk when second there as a juvenile and he should enjoy the ground if it is fast. I don't know if he is a well-handicapped horse, but he ran well enough last time to suggest he should be competitive off this sort of mark."

Varian continued: "The race looks quite warm. With early-season three-year-old handicaps, it doesn't matter what trip you are running over, there are horses who have won their latest starts as two-year-olds and you don't know how good they are. So it's hard to get a true measure of what you're taking on, but he should run well.

"He's in good form and he should keep on improving. He came out of his last race well and you can forget his Kempton run as his trainer had him too fresh and he didn't race as a professional. He was much better at Wolverhampton and could be better again on Saturday."

In what is likely to be one of the strongest assignments The Lost Sock has been given so far, three of the runners come into Saturday's contest off the back of a win last time out, whilst the weights are headed by the 92-rated Exclamation. The Grace Harris-trained colt finished fifth in the Group Two Flying Childers Stakes as a two-year-old, but was well-beaten in a Chantilly Listed race when last seen a month ago.

Archie Watson's Merlier, rated 85, is likely to attract plenty of support, having won the last two of this three starts, all over the minimum trip, although this is his first race on turf.

Other contenders are likely to include the Andrew Balding-trained Simplify, who re-opposes with The Lost Sock, having beaten Racing TV's gelding by a length and a half at Wolverhampton three weeks ago, though The Lost Sock is 3lb better off at the weights this time around.

Kevin Ryan saddles the consistent Mo Of Cairo, who has never been out of the Fram in four starts and was last seen finishing a close second in a valuable Class nursery handicap at York in August and has been dealt with a 3lb rise from the handicapper.