'Odds of 66-1 severely underestimate his chance - he was progressive last year and the division is wide open'

What’s your best bet of the meeting?

The staying division looks ripe for a new star and I'm convinced it will be Rahiebb, a fine-looking specimen who looks to have all the attributes needed to win the Gold Cup. He seemed a touch immature and was learning on the job for much of last year, but he still managed to push Scandinavia to just a neck in the St Leger, finishing fastest. He looked a much-improved model when winning the Yorkshire Cup last month, impressing with the way he travelled before stamping his authority on the contest when asserting late on, and gives every indication he will stay.

Where’s your money going in the Queen Anne?

A marker was certainly thrown down by Notable Speech in the Lockinge, but it is hard to forget how fiercely he pulled when beaten in this race last year and I would be with Newbury runner-up More Thunder to reverse the form. He is entitled to take a big step forward from his reappearance, and his hold-up tactics are much more suited to the straight track at Ascot.

Bow Echo, Gstaad or an upset in the St James’s Palace?

My immediate reaction after the 2,000 Guineas was that Gstaad would step forward for the run and could give Bow Echo more to think about at Royal Ascot, with the more conventional track in his favour. However, I backed Talk Of New York to best them both after his impressive debut success at Kempton and, although I didn't get to see him line up at Newmarket, I got all the validation I needed that my 'good horse alarm' was in working order when he bolted up at Sandown last month. He could be something special and is worth backing to prove it.