What a shame that the fast ground has deprived us of seeing Homeless Songs. The race revolves around the re-appearing Inspiral, unbeaten and the top-rated runner; so this really seems to be a case of is she straight and has she improved and trained on. Obviously the 1000 Guineas form is strongly represented with winner Cachet, runner-up Prosperous Voyage and also-rans Sandrine, Discoveries and Tenebrism all renewing rivalry. Astonishing that the Ballydoyle contender in a top race would be available at 10/1 but the big problem for the Guineas form is that the runner-up was well and truly put in her place twice last term by Inspiral and the winner was behind her in the Fillies’ Mile too. Add to this that after winning at HQ, Cachet was beaten by Mangoustine in the Pouliches, a typically unsatisfactory French race where a decent sized blanket would have covered the first eight. It is not really possible to give a fair assessment of the two American raiders, but Breeders’ Cup winner Pizza Bianca reads better than unbeaten Spendarella. I hope Frankie does not fluff his lines and the Gosden filly gets the job done.
From a form perspective, the Commonwealth Cup seems to throw up half a dozen serious contenders and a couple of key trial races. Ehraz has yet to open his 2022 account, finishing behind Hierarchy and Go Bears Go on his reappearance but ahead of Wings Of War; and then just failed against Tiber Flow at Newbury, where Sam Maximus, Rizg, Cadamosto and Hierarchy were behind. The problem with all of that form is that in the Sandy Lane at Haydock, Wings Of War was only third with Go Bears Go fourth and Gis A Sub ninth while victory went to El Caballo by a neck from Flaming Rib. Before that El Caballo had edged Tiber Flow at Newcastle so he has won all 4 starts in 2022. That does appear to suggest that Karl Burke’s and Hugo Palmer’s three year olds are the lead contenders from all of that interwoven form. However, I think there is a horse in the race better than both of them. Fresh from a 50/1 winner that he said in his SportingLife.com column was not a 33/1 chance, Richard Fahey reverts his stable star PERFECT POWER back to sprinting after they gave the 2000 Guineas a shot where he raced too keenly to stretch his stamina and probably did not stay. He won the Greenham easily and his win in the Middle Park (Go Bears Go and Twilight Jet behind) was one of two top notch Group 1 wins as a juvenile. He is quite tactically adept and will take some beating here, especially from the lowest draw of all.
