"The contest (15:30, Chester) could go to whichever of Our Jonathan or Bounty Box can best curb or overcome their occasional tendency to be slowly away ."
Chester's Listed freebets.co.uk Queensferry Stakes (15:30) has been as susceptible to the course's pronounced draw bias as any sprint contest there in recent years. Eight of the last 10 winners have been drawn five or lower, and none higher than seven, which doesn't augur well for last year's winner Doncaster Rover, who starts in box eight.
The contest could go to whichever of Our Jonathan or Bounty Box can best curb or overcome their occasional tendency to be slowly away (an instant hindrance around this ultra-sharp 6f). Marginal preference is for Bounty Box, with Chris Wall's filly is drawn three stalls better than Our Jonathan and the drop back in class from Group 3 last time sure to benefit. Additionally, Our Jonathan returns with wellbeing to prove after mucus was found in his lungs following his seasonal reappearance three months back.
It's the turn of the staying fillies and mares in the day's other Listed contest, the EBF Chalice Stakes at Newbury (16:30). Any suggestion that this is Snoqualmie Girl's time of year would mean little if none of the three races she has won during August-September 2008 and 2009 bore any relation whatsoever to today's challenge. However, it was a 1m4f Listed contest on good to firm that she landed at Chester about a year ago - class, trip and underfoot conditions she all encounters again today.
In addition, her Newmarket second last time, again in a Listed 1m4f race, was her best run since that win, and she might have beaten two of today's reopposing rivals by even further had she not been taken the scenic route.
Gallic Star and Pipette will be justifiably popular, but the former's staying-on Ribblesdale third suggested to me she needs either a severe test to prosper at 1m4f now, or else a longer trip. The latter, meanwhile, remains untried beyond just a fairly run 1m2f around Goodwood.
