Jamie Spencer hoping Sole Power can bounce back to winning ways

I ride Delve in the first at 2.00 at Ascot. She looks to have plenty to find on form so far. I presume they are black type hunting. I’ll just have to see as I haven’t ridden her before. It’s a competitive race and there are probably lots of horses running just to try and sneak a bit of black type at the end of the season.

In the second at 2.30, the Cumberland Lodge, I ride Arab Spring. He’ll love the ground. It’s good ground on the round course and that will suit him. He won well at Kempton last time on the polytrack, and he should stay well. He’s got a nice draw and I can’t see much against him other than that he’s carrying a Group Three penalty. But even then he’s earned that. Drawn one you can just bounce out, go forward and get a nice position. You know he stays so it’s a fairly easy race to ride. He should go well.

I ride Buckstay in the 3.40. He won this race last year of an 8lb lower mark and only won a short head so it shows the task ahead of him. He ran well in a Group Two last time out and finished fourth, and he’s become a victim of his own success. It’s a tough race for him but there just aren’t many options. I’d like to think he’ll be in the first three or four but it will be hard for him to win. I like Librisa Breeze back on the straight track at Ascot where he’s got such good form, both in the Royal Hunt Cup and when he won there since. He’d be the one to beat.

I’m on Sole Power in the 4.15 and he’d like the ground to keep drying ideally. It’s on the slow side of good so he doesn’t want any rain overnight. He’s back in a Listed race so he has to have an obvious chance. There are a few horses with younger legs in the race but hopefully he’ll take plenty of beating. He’s one of those that I’ve seen run plenty of times and you just have to ride him with confidence. He may not be as quick as he used to be but the drop in grade should suit and he’s run well in a few races this year.

Finally I ride Shamshon in the last at 4.50. He’s a bit of an enigma and he ran OK last time without setting the world alight at Kempton. I don’t think he stays six furlongs so a stiff five at Ascot in a 0-95 should be just about ideal. He’s got a chance and it would be nice to get another win out of him this year.

Given the perfect draw everything looks stacked up nicely for Postponed in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe. I don’t think we saw the real Makahiki in the Prix Niel. His runs in Japan showed what a devastating turn of foot he has, like some of those top class Japanese horses have. With the drying ground he may well be the best value in the race. In the Japanese Derby he looked a real pacey horse when he won. Chantilly suits horses with a good turn of foot that can flash home, and Christophe Lemaire knows the track well. He may well be underestimated.

Jamie