Epsom 3:35 Result

Crooked Path won last time out (form 4800-1) with a clear step forward, and comes into this race quickly (19 days) with a rating of only 72, giving him a favourable mark relative to a career that's now on an upward curve. James Owen's yard is in good form and the horse looks fairly treated at the weights compared to Sweet Reward and Gordon Grey who are carrying big weights off higher marks and have inconsistent recent form (Sweet Reward hasn't run for a month and his form figures include several poor efforts; Gordon Grey has been well held in three of his last four and is returning from an 86-day break). Great Bedwyn and Son Of Man are consistent but their recent placed efforts (282833, 512309) suggest they are finding it hard to land the killer blow, and Epictetus/Divine Knight are unproven going up in trip/conditions or have had mixed placed form without winning recently. Curran's yard is in decent form and he won last time too, but he steps up in class off a lower base and the step to 1m4f for a stayer bred by Gleneagles/Camelot is workable, but Crooked Path's smart, visually impressive win last time, quick backup, and easier assessment of his current ability give him the edge as a improving, potentially well-treated type in a race lacking a standout on ratings. The amateur rider affiliation (Owen has used Walker before) and drop back to a more sensible each-way type of race suit. Best of the on-form improvers at a fair each-way friendly price.