THE victory of David Evans’ Good Vibes in a hot race at York’s Dante meeting marks her out as a leading contender for the Queen Mary Stakes at Royal Ascot.

The Marygate Fillies Stakes at York has often been a sound guide for the Ascot contest, and on Friday Good Vibes was a 10/1 shot against some successful juveniles from more high-profile yards. She had been green on her second start when winning at Salisbury, but this time she put up a thoroughly professional display to score by a length and a half. Evans is not normally one to make bold claims, yet after the race he declared, “Good Vibes is the best I've trained. She has a lot of pace and I really fancied her today. I think she could win the Queen Mary.”

Before then we may have some local interest at Epsom on Derby Day. Two of the entries in the Investec Dash, over the fastest five furlongs in the world, are horses owned by Robert and Nina Bailey.

The last of Just Glamorous’ five wins was at Ascot over eighteen months ago, which put him on a handicap rating to 107. A poor 2018 meant he started this season on 83, but he showed clear signs of a revival three weeks ago when going down by a nose at Goodwood. He is 26th in the list of entries, but as the maximum number of runners is 20 he has a fighting chance of getting into the line-up. At Epsom a high draw near the stands rail is usually an advantage, and luck in running is needed too, so ante-post betting on this race is distinctly risky. However, if he could recover more of that old form he would have a squeak, and punters who like big-priced each way bets could do worse. There was still some 50/1 available earlier this week.

Glamorous Rocket, in the same ownership, won four times last year, but she is too low in the handicap to be likely to get a run at Epsom. A Class 4 handicap at Bath on Friday is a much more feasible target.

Chepstow’s race meeting this Thursday afternoon is also hosting a celebration of Monmouthshire businesses, a novel opportunity for local business people to network with other companies in the area.

Potentially the classiest contest is the 4.45, over a mile and a half and confined to lightly-raced horses. Some of the top trainers have entries, including John Gosden. He trained the winner of last year’s race, Almoghared. That horse finished fourth in the Queen’s Vase next time out behind subsequent St Leger winner Kew Gardens.

Ron Harris’ course winner earlier this month Brother Bentley seeks to bounce back from a lacklustre run at Bath, stepped up to seven furlongs in the 2.25.

Ascot Day, who won one of the races sponsored by Bernard Llewellyn at the last meeting, tries to follow up over the same trip in the 5.20.