Talking Horses: Showtime Mahomes can open the door to sprint success

A big field of three-year-old sprinters will go to post for the Pavers Foundation Catherine Memorial Sprint Handicap at York on Saturday, offering punters a chance to limber up ahead of even sterner challenges at Royal Ascot next week.

Eight of the 19-strong field were successful last time out, including Ingra Tor, the likely favourite at around 4-1, whose winning form at Newmarket in April was franked when Harry Three, the runner-up, went in at the same track two weeks later.

Harry Three is 1lb better off with Ingra Tor on Saturday but they are 8lb and 9lb higher respectively for their latest wins and both may struggle to cope with the challenge of Showtime Mahomes (3.40), a winner over course and distance three weeks ago.

That was just Showtime Mahomes’s second start at six furlongs while no fewer than five of the beaten horses – the second, third, fifth, ninth and 14th home – won next time out, which makes Grant Tuer’s the clear pick of the prices at around 9-1.

Sandown Park 1.40 Charlie Appleby is a shrewd judge of the right time to reach for some headgear and his 50 runners in first-time cheekpieces since the start of 2020 have a 24% strike-rate and small level-stakes profit. Lightly raced Maplewood, who will also appreciate the step back up in trip, could improve the trainer’s record here.

York 2.00 Casilli would have been much closer to Topanticipation with a clear run through the last quarter-mile over track and trip last month and is 7lb better off here.

Sandown Park 2.15 Nothing went right for Sheer Rocks in the Blue Riband Trial at Epsom in April but it is interesting that Eve Johnson Houghton started him off at Listed level and the 8-1 shot is the least exposed runner in this field by some way. The third home