Paul Kealy's play of the day at Newmarket

American Style

The York race that Hucklesbrook won last month has been by some way the best guide to this heritage handicap over the years (not surprisingly given it's even more valuable), with seven of the last ten winners here having finished in the top five there, and Quinault doing the double just two years ago.

The market appears to have that covered given Hucklesbrook is joint-favourite alongside two-and-three-quarter-length third Double Rush, who is 8lb better off.

However, the layers seem to have completely ignored the claims of fifth-placed American Style, who was only half a length down on Double Rush but is three times the price.

Before his fifth at York, American Style had looked pretty progressive for Kevin Ryan, winning on his seasonal return at Ripon and then finishing second in a couple of Class 2 three-year-old handicaps on the Rowley Mile course (11lb better off here for just over three lengths with the winner of the first, 5lb better off for a length with the winner of the second).

It's hard to argue that American Style's York run was a big step forward because it wasn't, but as his two previous runs on that track are the worst two runs of his life I'm taking it as a positive that he's still steadily improving.