Sun Chariot Day. Newmarket – Copybet

Favourites have won the last two runnings of the Group 1 Sun Chariot Stakes and CINDERELLA’S DREAM has every chance of continuing that trend for Charlie Appleby and William, who were on target with Wise Approach in the Middle Park Stakes over this course-and-distance a week ago.

The daughter of Shamardal has won eight of her 13 starts and was hugely impressive when landing the Group 2 Dahlia Stakes over 1m1f at this course in the spring and matched that when edging out Aidan O’Brien’s January in the Group 1 Falmouth Stakes back over a mile on the Rowley Mile.

She wasn’t quite at her best when only fourth at Deauville last time, but that race wasn’t run to suit and it’ll be no surprise to see her bounce back.

The Charlie Johnson-trained BLESSED STAR was soundly beaten at short odds in a maiden at Chelmsford last time, but it probably wasn’t as bad an effort as initially looked the case, with the winner, Shimmering Surf, appearing to show significant improvement on his second run back after wind surgery.

The daughter of Sottass is now 0-8, but she’s been admirably consistent, finishing second on six occasions, third twice and posting a sequence of Racing Post Ratings of between 77 and 85 in handicap company.

She went close at Pontefract in the summer, suggesting she’ll be well suited by this track’s uphill finish and must have a big chance off her official mark of 78 and featherweight of just 8st 2lbs.

Karl Burke has been firing out big Saturday winners with regularity over the last few seasons and there is a lot of confidence behind his progressive Half Sovereign in the valuable sale race on the card.

However, Oliver Cole’s JEL PEPPER sets the standard on ratings and will be hard to beat if recapturing the form he showed when fourth behind Zavateri in the Group 2 July Stakes - the winner going onto to win Group 2 Vintage Stakes under a penalty at Glorious Goodwood and the Group 1 Vincent O’Brien National Stakes at The Curragh subsequently.

Jel Pepper has been significantly below that level in two outings since, albeit finishing a creditable fourth of 21 in the Irish EBF Ballyhane Stakes at Naas. His run in the Weatherbys Scientific £300,000 2-Y-O Stakes at Doncaster last month was comfortably the worst of his career, though there were clear excuses for that, having lost his position when bumped two furlongs out and denied a clear run soon afterwards when in the process of rallying.

He shapes like this step up to 7f will be in his favour and Colin Keane is an eye-catching booking.