Ranked bottom of the nine on our figures and carrying 125 lb, La Peregrina faces a stiff ask, though he does bring distance and going experience to the table and was a winner two starts back, with a third last time out offering a crumb of encouragement.
Masterinthewoods has been a model of consistency, posting seconds three starts back, two starts back, and last time out before that latest disappointing eighth, though bouncing back to his best would make him a serious threat at 140 lb.
Form last 6712228
★AI Rating★★☆☆☆
78SR86RPR81OR—Votes
✦AI verdict
SR 78 suggests ability but 11/1 reflects a stiff ask in this field.
A placed effort followed by a win last time out give King of Berkshire strong recent momentum, and with experience over today's trip and going, conditions suit; fit off a ten-day break and carrying 138 lb, he appeals as a solid each-way proposition.
Form last 6313421
★AI Rating★★★☆☆
91SR86RPR80OR—Votes
✦AI verdict
SR 91 is competitive — each-way claims if conditions suit on the day.
First Officer has been a model of consistency, finishing second three times in his last five starts, and he has experience of today's trip and conditions — our rating of 86 suggests he's well ahead of his official mark, making the weight of 136 lb the chief concern.
Form last 6-52242
★AI Rating★★☆☆☆
77SR86RPR77OR—Votes
✦AI verdict
SR 77 suggests ability but 11/1 reflects a stiff ask in this field.
Pulled up last time out and winless in his last five starts, Double Meaning is hard to fancy from a rating of 77 ranked seventh of nine; he has run over today's trip and going, but a return to form is needed before he can be seriously considered here.
Form last 645-35P
★AI Rating★★☆☆☆
65SR77RPR77OR—Votes
✦AI verdict
SR 65 suggests ability but 10/1 reflects a stiff ask in this field.
Charles Darnay arrives on the back of back-to-back wins, but that run of form must be weighed against a lengthy 115-day absence, a demanding 135 lb burden, and a rating that places him second-bottom on our figures.
Form last 65311
★AI Rating★★★☆☆
82SR72RPR83OR—Votes
✦AI verdict
SR 82 is competitive — each-way claims if conditions suit on the day.
Mr Freedom returns on a quick 14-day turnaround, bringing distance and going experience to the table, and our rating of 81 suggests he holds more than his official mark of 75 implies; yet winless in his last five starts, with a best recent finish of third four starts back, he remains one to treat with caution.
Form last 65/3585
★AI Rating★★☆☆☆
67SR81RPR75OR—Votes
✦AI verdict
SR 67 suggests ability but 14/1 reflects a stiff ask in this field.
Zurna arrives in cracking nick, a winner on each of his last two starts and a serious threat on that hot streak, with experience of today's trip and conditions working in his favour; the concern is whether 133 lb will blunt his momentum.
Form last 697211
★AI Rating★★★☆☆
85SR82RPR81OR—Votes
✦AI verdict
SR 85 is competitive — each-way claims if conditions suit on the day.
Astracornus won three starts back and finished second two starts ago, showing he retains ability, but a 55-day absence introduces a fitness query and he faces stiffer company carrying 126 lb, with experience over today's trip and going offering some reassurance.
Form last 6-66124
★AI Rating★★★☆☆
86SR78RPR74OR—Votes
✦AI verdict
SR 86 is competitive — each-way claims if conditions suit on the day.
Prices update each odds sync. Green ▼ = shortened (steamer),
Red ▲ = drifted, Blue = = unchanged since last sync.
Best column highlights the bookmaker offering the longest price.
King of Berkshire owns one of the strongest chamber scores in this field. The Balanced lens likes the blend of SR strength (51) and market confidence (93). The profile stays composed even after the chamber introduces race-day variance.
13/8Andrew BaldingOisin Murphy
71%Confidence
⚠ Danger Runner
Astracornus
Nearest rival if the simulation drifts off the primary path.
3/1 · David Menuisier✓ Value Signal
Mr Freedom
Strongest upside if you want a less obvious route through the field.
20/1 · Sheena West◈ Chamber Memory
Balanced
Even weighting across form, market confidence and race-day volatility.
King of Berkshire (SR 91, 6/4) is the clear standout on every meaningful signal. He holds the highest SR in the field by 5 points, carries a manageable 9-12, and his form string 313421 shows a last-time-out win at the same class (ClassMv:=) off the same mark (MarkMv:=) — the textbook repeat-win profile. The market has hammered him in 23% since opening, with Oisin Murphy (22% career strike rate, 2,716 runners) booked — one of the strongest jockey signals in the field. DistFit:+ and GoingFit:+ confirm he handles today's conditions, and Andrew Balding (18%, 3,000 runners) is a top yard firing at this level.
Each-way alternative: Astracornus.
Main danger: Astracornus — Astracornus (SR 86, 5/1) has been backed in 18% since opening, carries the lightest weight in the field at 9-0 — a real pounds advantage — and his last-three-run sequence 124 shows consistent improvement, making him the most credible threat if King of Berkshire has any fitness concern after only 10 days since his last run.
⚖Case against4▾
Only 10 days since last run — short turnaround for a 3yo carrying 9-12; fatigue risk is specific given weight burden and quick back-up.
Astracornus (SR:86, 5/1) has been freshened 55 days and is 18% market mover — a fitter, lightened rival narrowing the SR gap on the day.
Charles Darnay's form string 5311 shows back-to-back wins and he carries 3lb less (9-9); his 54% market drift is the only negative but his raw upward trajectory is a threat.
At 6/4 the market has fully priced in King of Berkshire's claims, leaving almost no value margin if conditions or the draw don't fall favourably at Newmarket's stiff straight course.
ShortlistKing of Berkshire, Astracornus, Zurna, Charles Darnay