Storm The Stars to cement Leger favouritism in Betway Great Voltigeur

Bill Esdaile is City A.M. racing editor and managing director of Square in the Air.

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Aidan O’Brien

TRAINER Aidan O’Brien saddles three of the seven runners in the wide-open Betway Great Voltigeur Stakes (3.05pm), but the Ballydoyle trio may have their work cut out to stop STORM THE STARS who is available at 7/2 with the sponsors.

William Haggas has his team in great nick and landed two valuable pots last weekend including the Hungerford Stakes at Newbury. His son of Sea The Stars will be having his eighth race of a busy campaign that has seen him placed in both the English and Irish Derby.

Admittedly, he was a little disappointing in Paris last time, but he’ll relish stepping back down to Group Two company for the first time in four starts and may just have the class edge on these.

Royal Ascot winner Balios has to carry a 3lb penalty, while 12 furlongs looks on the sharp side for all three Ballydoyle runners. Medrano needs rain and the unbeaten Tashaar may now be out of his depth.

Desert Law, winner of the Investec Dash at Epsom, heads the weights for the Symphony Group Stakes (1.55pm) which gets the meeting underway.

Paul Midgley’s seven-year-old seems better than ever this season but will surely find things harder shouldering 17lb more than on Derby day.

It is clear to see why Dutch Masterpiece heads the majority of lists at around 9/1 as he had been hinting at a return to form before failing by a whisker in the Shergar Cup at Ascot.

He is again reunited with Pat Smullen which is a positive, but if the ground gets quick he may get tapped for toe.

One horse lurking on a particularly dangerous mark is David O’Meara’s Highland Acclaim and if he manages to break on terms he could make a mockery of his 16/1 price tag.

However, he is a risky proposition as he can be slowly into stride and the trip is on the short side.

It has paid to be drawn high in this contest in recent years with four of the last six winners being berthed in stall 15 or higher, which is good news as I fancy 10-year-old TANGERINE TREES to roll back the years at 20/1 with Betway.

Tax Free was a 10-year-old when landing this prize three years ago and Bryan Smart’s seasoned speedball has been dropped to a mark of 93 (his last winning mark).

Tangerine Trees has also been drawn in stall 20, meaning he can blitz his way along the stand side rail and might take some catching.

I’m also going to have a saver on BOGART at 12/1 as he’s another drawn high with plenty of speed.

Kevin Ryan’s charge won this contest two years ago and ran better than his sixth place position suggested 12 months ago.