Can young Candy sprinter justify favouritism and stake claim to sprint honours?

Saturday: 3.00 Newmarket
Betfair Palace House Stakes (Group 3) | 5f | 3yo+ | ITV/RTV

The Palace House Stakes has been the seasonal starting point for plenty of Group 1 winners in recent years and usually attracts a calibre of sprinter you would expect to see in the King’s Stand at Royal Ascot in the early summer.

Mayson, Sole Power, Goldream, Profitable, Marsha, Mabs Cross and Profitable have used this race en route to top-level success but this season the market is headed by a horse who has never run in a Group contest.

Whether Twilight Calls deserves his position in the betting is up for serious debate as he is the second-lowest-rated runner in the field.
Henry Candy's four-year-old was undoubtedly impressive when scoring over this course and distance in April but that was in a handicap off a mark of 94. He loves this course and distance and is open to plenty of improvement but might fall short against seasoned Group-quality sprinters.

Eight-year-old Tis Marvellous is rated 13lb higher than Twilight Calls and continues to defy his advancing years. The highest-rated horse in Clive Cox’s yard, Tis Marvellous landed three of his last four in a productive 2021 campaign, including the Beverley Bullet in a course-record time. His record following layoffs is respectable and he should be there or thereabouts.

Tis Marvellous: landed Beverley Bullet in record timeCredit: John Grossick (racingpost.com/photos)

Arecibo finished second in last season’s King’s Stand and has improved in leaps and bounds since joining specialist sprint trainer Robert Cowell. He is twice a winner over course and distance on contrasting ground conditions but fails to win as often as he should for a horse of his talent.

Came From The Dark was around 10-1 for last season's King’s Stand before a setback ruled him out of Ascot and he was the eyecatcher in this race last year as he would have beaten Lazuli in another couple of strides after taking a while to get out. This could be his year.

An unfavourable bob of the heads prevented him from landing a decent Musselburgh handicap on his return last season and he was probably slightly unlucky not to be unbeaten in four starts, ending his campaign by accounting for Arecibo in the Coral Charge.

Came From The Dark is a 25-1 shot for the King’s Stand and that price could look generous come 3.05pm. The division looks wide open following Battaash’s retirement and there is no guarantee the hot favourite Golden Pal will get the ground he requires at Ascot, while the track may also not play to his strengths.
Race analysis by Robbie Wilders

Shades of Kyllachy

Two decades after the mighty Kyllachy won for Henry Candy in the traditional prelude to the 2,000 Guineas, Twilight Calls bids to make his first step to stardom.

The son of Twilight Son sent punters home happy when landing a handicap on the final day of the Craven meeting at the track this month and connections indicated the Group 3 test would be next up.

Twilight Calls looks set to encounter similar conditions as that day, when jockey David Probert rode him with supreme confidence, and he looks well drawn in stall 12 close to the stands' rail.

Probert said: "Twilight Calls was a good winner at the Craven meeting and looks as though he’s taken a step forward since being gelded. He’s always worked like a good horse and he posted a very good time on his reappearance.

"They’ll go a better pace in this better race I’d imagine, which would suit him, and he’ll enjoy the quick ground. I held him up last time as it was his first run of the season and this race looks the natural progression from that."

What they say

William Haggas, trainer of Hurricane Ivor
He has a penalty which makes things tricky but he should enjoy the trip and the ground. He’s pleased at home but may well improve for the race.

Ed Walker, trainer of Came From The Dark
We've been planning all winter to start him back in a race he was a close second in last year. He's sound again after injury and is an exciting sprinter for this season – the King's Stand Stakes at Ascot is the race I'm working back from, with the Temple Stakes his likely next target after Saturday. I'm keeping my eye on the ground at Newmarket but I'm keen to run him.

Stuart Williams, trainer of Existent
It's a stronger race than he's been running in but we're trying to make him into a sprinter and we think the five furlongs will suit him better than six last time.

Clive Cox, trainer of Tis Marvellous
It’s the perfect starting point for his season after his Listed win last year. His best form is at Ascot but he’s run at this track once before.

Henry Candy, trainer of Twilight Calls
He's in good form and I've been happy with him since his last run. He has a tremendous ability to quicken, but whether he can go from handicaps to Group company I don't know. I think he's not far off Group class and he's quite exciting.

Roger Teal, trainer of Whenthedealinsdone
He's a very big-topped horse. He ran a blinder in the Portland when the ground went against him and if it stayed on the quick side he'd have won. He'll benefit from the run but we are very closely matched with Twilight Calls on form, and he is the favourite while we are an outsider. It's a very hot race but we're hoping he'll be able to show us that he's ready to step up to this company.

Ben Curtis, rider of Zarzyni
He won nicely at Musselburgh despite being drawn one that day. He has 5lb or 6lb to find with some of them but he's progressive and running in a better race should suit him.
Reporting by David Milnes

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