By Tony Elves Older Horses Hopewell Rock Winner of two of his 7 starts and currently rated 101. Having his first run since being gelded when promising third, beaten a length and three quarters, to Daiquiri Bay at Newmarket (1m 4f) in May off his current mark. “Hopewell Rock is in the Duke Of Edinburgh Handicap and I think he’s got a live chance. This race has been the plan from before the November Handicap last year. He got very colty at Doncaster that day after a long year having had a couple of minor niggles through the summer. He had a tooth infection, a sinus and we thought he was a horse for Royal Ascot last year. He was just ready to start at Newmarket, and he ran with credit on his comeback and they left his mark alone. He looks a picture now.” Rosy Affair Winner of six of her 15 starts and currently rated 108. Finished runner-up beaten a head, to Flora Of Bermuda in a Listed race at Newmarket on her reappearance in May and went one better in a similar event at Haydock (6f) later that month when accounting for Magic Basma by a length. “Rosy Affair was a winner of a listed race at Haydock and drops back to five furlongs in the King Charles III Stakes. I have been wanting to do that for a while as she has been showing loads of pace at home. The quickest we have a horse go over five furlongs was her yesterday and it gives me the confidence to run five furlongs with her. She used to miss the kick, but she’s matured and just starting to really learn how to sprint.” Survie Winner of four of her 17 starts and currently rated 111. Having her first run for the stable when scoring by two and three quarter lengths from Military Academy in a conditions race at Lingfield (1m 2f) in January. Finished third, beaten 10 ¼ lengths, to Jancis in the Group 2 Dahlia Stakes at Newmarket (1m 1f) in May after being slowly into her stride. “I think Survie goes to the Listed Wolferton Stakes on day one. It’s not typically a race for fillies but I just felt it look a nice spot for her. She stepped terribly from the gate in the Dahlia and was on the back foot and hated the track and missed the kick at Kempton the time before. She has been working pretty intensively with the Witherfords on her stalls work and she’s so much better now.” Three-Year-Olds Bow Echo Unbeaten in 4 starts and currently rated 126. Impressive winner of the Group 1 2000 Guineas on his reappearance at Newmarket (1m) in May when scoring by two and three quarter lengths from subsequent Irish 2,000 Guineas winner Gstaad. Scored by four and a half lengths from Be The Standard on his debut at Newbury (1m) in August and followed up with further victories in a Listed race at Haydock (1m) in September when beating Publish a length and in the Group 2 Royal Lodge Stakes at Newmarket (1m) later that month when scoring by a length from Humidity. “He's been very good. We were hopeful that he would be very competitive in the Guineas. I think to put on the show that he did was a little bit of a surprise to us. He took the race well, and within a couple of days he needed to be back out and in full work. He's taking it super. I think Billy (Loughnane) and I had been through the Guineas a number of times, walked the track a number of times, stood at certain furlong markers and planned out where we wanted to be at each point. I think the preparation couldn't have gone any better and it was a pretty comfortable watch. It’s probably equal pressure but in a slightly different way going into the St James’s Palace because he’s proven himself to be the horse we hoped he would. It’s always a bit of an unknown through the spring to see if he’s a horse who’s going to flourish and luckily, he has and he has taken a notable step forward. We have seen him improve physically and his work has undoubtedly got stronger. I hope they go a good gallop as that would suit and he’s a horse that you want to ride with a bit of restraint on a straight track as if you jump you can land yourself in a prominent position and you’re often a victim of circumstances if you land there. That’s why I was so happy where Billy was in the run at Newmarket, but you don’t to be far back at Ascot on the round mile. They can get away from you, but he jumped and travelled going around a bend at Haydock and he’s got quite a few of the attributes needed for the track at Ascot. He was fast asleep five minutes before you arrived and he gives me incredible confidence about his mental constitution for a test like this. You know he’s horse that will travel and, really, he’s got all the attributes to do everything. It rained last week and we switched his work morning from Tuesday to Friday. He worked on the all-weather on Tuesday and then on good to soft ground on the July course on Friday and was electric. For me, he is an unbeaten Guineas winner whose best days are ahead him.” Protection Act Winner of both of his starts and currently rated 103. Made a winning debut in a novice at Haydock (7f) last July when beating Look To The Stars a length and followed up with a three quarter length victory from Pacific Avenue on his reappearance in a conditions event at Goodwood (1m) in May. “We left him in the St James’s Palace just to give us options but he’s going to go to the Hampton Court Stakes. His work is good, his work is progressive and I think no one, including myself, will know quite what level he’s up to until we step him up to ten furlongs on the big occasion. He’s got a brilliant mind for the game, and he was just ready to start at Goodwood and beat the horse that was subsequently third in the Irish 2,000 Guineas. I’d slightly wished that he’d come a little bit sooner in the spring, but he had a trace clip and when he won at Goodwood, he wasn’t there and he’s certainly improved for the run.” Westport Winner of his three starts and currently rated 95. Scored by a length and a quarter from Caviar Cowboy in a novice at Lingfield (6f) in March and added to that when beating Crimson Rose a length and a quarter in a similar event at Leicester (6f) in April. Completed the hat-trick with a four-length success from You Mystify Me in another novice at Hamilton (5f) in May. “Westport has a chance later in the week in the Palace Of Holyrood House on the Friday. He’s unbeaten in his three starts and the race has been on the radar for a while. He was still very behind in himself in the early part of spring and he got very warm on his second start but that was because he still had his winter coat and he’s starting to blossom.” Two-Year-Olds Byzantine Made a winning debut at Yarmouth (7f) in May when beating Shiyam two and a half lengths. “Byzantine was a good winner on his debut at Yarmouth in possibly fortunate circumstances, but his work has been good, and he is entitled to take his chance in the Chesham Stakes.” Havana Lightning Winner of one of her two starts. Off the mark with a length and a half success from Havana Sprite in a novice fillies’ at Yarmouth (5f) in May. “Havana Lightning was a good winner at Yarmouth, and she’ll go to the Queen Mary.” Libertango Scored by a length and a half from Savage Mariner on her debut at Leicester (6f) in May. “She worked nicely this morning, and the plan is to go for the Albany Stakes. She was a good winner against the boys at Leicester and has come forward from that win.”