Palace Of Holyroodhouse Stakes (Handicap)

3-5 for Karl Burke as a 2yo, notably a front-running success in a 6f Listed event at York in October (soft ground); sold for 75,000gns later that month and gelded; showed speed but ultimately well beaten in two 6f runs in Dubai early in the year; drops back to 5f with enough to prove.

Ran away with a heavy-ground Nottingham novice (6f) last October before finishing tailed off in a Listed event at Doncaster 17 days later; bred to be smart but he drops to 5f on significantly faster ground than he's faced before; returns from 237 days off.

Useful early 2yo for Archie Watson, good fifth in the Windsor Castle (C&D) and runner-up in the Super Sprint (both good to firm); progress stalled thereafter and he changed hands for 38,000gns in October; gelded soon after; tough task on his stable debut after nine months off.

Won 6f novice at Goodwood last May in good style; 11 months off before hard-fought win at Wolverhampton in April; only seventh on his handicap debut at York Dante meeting (7f, good to firm) but he travelled well before meeting trouble at a crucial stage; still has untapped potential and not short of speed but dropping back to 5f in a race of this nature asks a question of him.

Improving at a rate of knots, blowing away limited opposition in a 5f Southwell maiden in March before winning a competitive Class 3 handicap by daylight back at Southwell one month later; another dominant display at Chester last month (6f, good), fast away from a wide draw and settling the race quickly when surging clear off the home turn; dropping back to 5f should be fine but the form of the latest win hasn't worked out, he's up 12lb and is untried on quicker than good; remains a promising sprinter but this may not be his day.