'Berkshire Shadow is the one to beat but he must have a brilliant chance'

Plenty of water has passed under the bridge since Berkshire Shadow won the Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot on only his second start in 2021 but after eight subsequent runs without success, he was back in the winner's enclosure at Wolverhampton last month.

That victory followed a 212-day absence and a gelding operation and has helped propel him to the top of the betting for the Spreadex-backed Mile Championships, with Oisin Murphy, the only rider to have won on the four-year-old, again taking the ride.   

"We were delighted with the way Berkshire Shadow won at Wolverhampton and he's done nothing but please us since then," said trainer Andrew Balding. "He's stepping back up to a mile – he hasn't won over the trip yet – but bits of his form suggest it shouldn't be a problem."

His finishing effort over 7f at Wolverhampton also suggested today's trip will hold few fears, especially considering he was beaten less than two lengths running over a mile in the Group 1 St James's Palace Stakes last June.

What they say

Kevin Stott, rider of Chichester
He likes the all-weather, ran very well at Chelmsford last time and the time before that won over today's trip here. Berkshire Shadow is the one to be beat, but he must have a brilliant chance.

Clive Cox, trainer of Positive
Positive has a bit of confidence after his last two wins and I see no reason why the straight mile and stiff finish shouldn't suit him.We have a very high opinion of from his two-year-old days and it was great to see him produce two consistent, honest performances this season.

Clive Cox: runs Positive in the All-Weather Mile

Joseph O’Brien, trainer of San Andreas
He's in good shape. He's something of an all-weather specialist and ran a very good race over the course and distance last year. We were very happy with his performance at Dundalk last time and it's nice to have secured the services of James Doyle. We'd be hopeful of another big run.

Stan Moore, trainer of The Wizard Of Eye
He's in as good a nick as I can have him without running him. He's never been on the Newcastle surface but he ran in Saudi Arabia so it should be no bother for him. His run at Kempton last time was a very good performance. He was running well at Group 1 level last season too, so I'm a bit surprised he's the outsider of the field.

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