Candy chases Newbury win; 5lb rise in weight not expected to stop Digby.

Byline: MOSCROP

HENRY Candy is keen to run Aye Aye Digby in the Wokingham Stakes and hopes that he can win again at Newbury today and go up the ratings to give him a chance of getting into the handicap sprint feature at Royal Ascot.

The four-year-old has grown and matured during the winter and looks set for a successful campaign after showing the benefit of his two-length beating by Rash Judgement on his seasonal debut at Folkestone by reversing the form at Goodwood next time on 5lb better terms.

Not only that, he seemed to win with a bit in hand and a 5lb rise is not expected to stop him from following up in the Berry Bros & Rudd Handicap and take a step nearer an appearance at the Royal meeting.

With the rain having arrived, conditions will have eased considerably and punters should tread warily when it comes to backing those who have been performing well on a quicker surface. However, Aye Aye Digby can cope with most types of ground.

His sire Captain Rio was a mudlark, yet it was on the fast side when Aye Aye Digby scored last time.

William Haggas is responsible for two of the opposition. High Standing is unbeaten in three attempts at six furlongs and justified strong support at Doncaster this month on his first outing for the stable.

Successful over seven furlongs at Leicester last year for Simon Callaghan, he failed to stay when tried at a mile later on, and the decision by his new handler to bring him back to sprinting looks a shrewd move. He makes more appeal than stablemate Musaalem who goes well fresh but might not be as effective on this slower ground.

Another trainer with Royal Ascot in mind is Ed Dunlop. He has entered Aqwaal for the King Edward VII Stakes, a Group Two prize that normally attracts colts that have run well in the Epsom Derby, so obviously he rates Aqwaal quite highly.

He was a convincing winner at Sandown on his return this year and a 9lb rise for the Aon London Gold Cup should not prove beyond him as he looked a well-handicapped horse that day.

Paco Boy has shown a liking for Newbury - unbeaten in three runs at this track - and on form looks the most likely winner of the Group One Lockinge Stakes. He developed into a top-class seven furlong performer last year, including successes in the Hungerford Stakes over the course and a Group One prize at Longchamp in October.

His first win over today's mile came in a Sandown contest recently but he still has to convince some pundits that this is his best trip. While he likes some cut, any further deterioration in the ground will place more emphasis on his stamina and that could make him vulnerable.

While his rivals need to improve to beat Paco Boy, if it comes up really soft it leaves the door open for the likes of Aqlaam who returns after almost a year on the sidelines.

We last saw him winning the Jersey Stakes at Ascot in June and there is plenty of stamina on his dam's side to suggest a mile is well within his compass.

Mark Johnston is responsible for two of the six runners in the Runswick Bay Handicap at Thirsk, and Roman Republic, making his seasonal bow, is preferred to Fesko who has an all-weather victory to her credit from three attempts on the sand and one on turf.

Roman Republic won on only his second start in a Doncaster maiden last autumn and this well-related son of Cape Cross cost 200,000 guineas as a yearling.

Despite suffering an unexpected defeat on his debut, he was obviously held in high regard and given some fancy entries, and he made no mistake next time.

Whether or not he will eventually justify the faith of his connections, he appears on a handicap mark of 83 and I understand his trainer thinks he is a lot better than the handicapper has rated him on limited evidence. He can prove the point here.

Jaconet continues to thrive and completed her hat-trick for David Barron at Doncaster and another inevitable rise will make life tougher in the Scarborough Handicap. However, the assessor may not have got to the bottom of her yet, even though this represents a significant step up in grade..

CAPTION(S):

LIKING FOR COURSE Paco Boy, centre, looks the most likely winner of the Group One Lockinge Stakes.