1m2f Betfred Lester Piggott Handicap (Class 2) (3yo 0-100)
A fiercely competitive three-year-old handicap here with Torito looking a potential pattern-level perfomer with his close second to Derby entrant Artistic Star looking like a particularly strong formline. However Torito has not gone unnoticed by the handicapper with a mark of 95 and there are others who may have more in hand.
Balance Play might just be the most well-handicapped in this with an attractive pedigree and with the step up to this trip potentially suiting from his last three starts. But he still lacks for experience and his price has no juice left in it.
I’m always a fan of a Johnstone horse around Epsom as they so often like to front-run and show the right constitution for this undulating track. PERFECT PLAY has the typical progressive profile of a Johnstone horse and put in his best performance yet last weekend to win cosily at Chester by a decent yardstick in Razoni (rated +80). Perfect Play had his mark rise 5lbs to 82, but there could still be plenty of mileage left in it as horses from the stable can improve beyond all recognitions when they get into form. Conditions are set up for Perfect Play to do just that and whilst he may not be able to dominate this affair, he is sure to put in a bold bid to claim back-to-back successes. 12/1 looks too big a price.
Our other pick may seem slightly more speculative with SILVER SWORD. He refused to race on his first two starts, but has now got form figures of 521 in his last three starts where the first of those runs came behind Derby fancy, Military Order finishing near Lose Your Wad (now 11lbs better off). His penultimate start saw him gamely see out this trip only to be beaten by a filly who then ran in the Musidora behind Oaks winner Soul Sister.
Silver Sword finally got his head in front in a maiden at Southwell where he came clear of the field by some distance in quite eyecatching style. He remains hugely unexposed off a mark of 82 and could spring a surprise here for South African trainer Dylan Cunha.
1pt win Silver Sword @10/1, 15:55 Epsom, Saturday
1pt win Perfect Play @12/1, 15:55 Epsom, Saturday