York Ebor Festival eye-catchers: four horses to follow

In the absence of the stable's flagbearer Calandagan, ZAYDANN may be asked some stiff questions slightly earlier in his career than may have been anticipated, but he looks up to the grade on this evidence. 

Held up off the pace by Mickael Barzalona, he travelled well but had to delay his challenge, meaning that some classy sorts had got first run. Once it was clear that he couldn't win, his jockey wasn't overly hard on him, yet he finished within touching distance of Ombudsman who is rated 21 lb superior. 

There are further minor Group races to be won with him back in France, but it would be no surprise to see him develop into a legitimate Champion Stakes (for which he has an entry and is 40-1) by mid-October, especially as last year's winning stablemate Calandagan appears to have the Japan Cup as his main target this autumn.   

I'm not sure if James Doyle was concerned about his draw in 10 and wanted to see what Billy Loughnane was going to do on Libertango who was out even wider, but he might rue his decision to rein WILD BLOSSOM back at the start of the Lowther. 

As a result, he was forced into a much more passive race position, and though the filly started her challenge from a similar spot to the winner, her passage was always likely to be more hostage to fortune. 

That proved the case, as she was blocked at several key times. She wouldn't have won, but would have gone much closer, as she just wasn't able to use her main asset on this first try at six furlongs: speed. 

She has an entry in the Cheveley Park, for which she'd be of interest if the ground was quick, but something like the Flying Childers back over the minimum trip at Doncaster would suit her ideally. 

You don't have to be Kojak (I've gone American there in a nod to the winner Bacio) to have picked out TIME FOR SANDALS as an unlucky loser, but you would have been screaming at the Telly on Friday if you'd backed the Harry Eustace-trained filly. 

After missing the kick in a race where that usually proves fatal, the mount of Kieran Shoemark was blocked off at every opportunity to make a meaningful challenge. She was on the bridle for all but the final 50 yards, where she flew home, but the placed horses were out of reach. 

What's most encouraging is that she has now put two good runs together this season and looks ready to win again.  

She has an entry in the Flying Fifth at the Curragh next month, and doesn't need to be held up (that a hard race to win from off the pace) so it looks a good fit, while she also ran well from a poor draw in the Sprint Cup at Haydock last season as a three-year-old; she would need supplementing for that.  

With the winner Raammee a very progressive sort, and runner-up Thunder Run very much at home on the Knavesmire, this has the look of solid form.  

The Brian Meehan-trained BOURBON BLUES fared much better than fellow three-year-old Accredit and would have finished quite a bit closer but for finding plenty of trouble inside the last furlong. 

He has an entry in the Cambridgeshire (for which he is 33-1, while Raammee is 7-1 ante-post favourite) and could really be suited by the demands of that race assuming they go a strong enough gallop; he looks on a fair mark wherever he pitches up. 

Al Aali (eighth) is another to note, doing all his best work late on having been given a much more patient ride than at Goodwood last time. He doesn't look handicapped out of things just yet, though may benefit from a return to further.